Legend of the heavenly guardian
by WhiteWinterDragon
Summary: “What..?” Kusaka whispered weakly, unable to make any sense of Toshiro’s words, as he fought to stay conscious, gasping for breath in air too cold and dense for him to breathe. “HYORINMARU!”
1. 5 roars beneath the frozen heavens

Everything belongs to the rightful owners. This is purely a fanfic starring my favourite characters, from one of my favourite manga-series. It is made for fun, and I hope people will enjoy reading it, as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Reviews with advice and constructive criticism are downright worshipped, seeing as this is one of my first fanfics, and I have a lot to learn. Oh well on with the story... By the way I prefer to use the Japanese terms for a lot of stuff, so if you have any questions about the text feel free to ask...

5 roars beneath the frozen heavens

Why the hell did it have to be so damn cold, Matsumoto cursed under her breath, while jumping from rooftop to rooftop along with some of her squad-members. She bit her lip in frustration... Go to the real world and perform soulburials... Exterminate all weak hollows you come across and request backup, if you encounter stronger ones... Yeah right... as if even hollows would move around in weather like this. The wind was biting her face making her cheeks burn, and the falling snow made her hair and kimono stiff. Despite the cold and her bad mood, she still concentrated on the task at hand. Her sky-blue eyes scanning the ground and her body itching to sense even the slightest bit of reiatsu.

After a while, they finally found a lonely soul, who had sought cover from the horrible weather in a trash bin. The soul was that of a short, balding man. He was holding a suitcase and wore an expression of horror, as he eyed the group of shinigami. Matsumoto pitied the poor guy, not sure whether he was shivering from cold or fear. She smiled at the soul, wanting him to be as comfortable as possible before sending him to the afterlife. "B-But I don't... Want t-to leave..." the soul stammered. "You will never be hungry or consumed by hollows, if you go to the Soul Society... And the weather never gets this cold," she added in her most cheery voice. The soul looked thoughtful for a moment before he said: "Okay... I guess i-it's time t-to go then..." Matsumoto drew Haineko from her sheath and carefully stamped the souls forehead, with her zanpakouto's hilt.

A warm, blue light emitted, as the soul seemed to fuse with the ground. The light grew stronger until it suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only a delicate, black butterfly fluttering its way towards the sky. The somewhat sad and symbolic beauty of the ritual never failed to surprise Matsumoto.

Even when the butterfly was no longer in sight, she kept staring at the never ending sky lost in thought. She was therefore completely startled, when a loud sound, almost like a roar erupted in the distance. After a moment 4 roars followed the first almost simultaneously. Then everything went silent. It remained like that for about half a minute. Matsumoto's heart then jumped to her throat, as an explosion of reiatsu hit her. She had never in her life felt so small and so cold. The wind had become a storm, the white sky had turned dark grey, thunder roaring in the distance, crushing, engulfing, terrifying... And yet magnificent.


	2. The will to protect

Hey here's the new chapter XD. Thanks for the review it's really appreciated. I know last chapter was very short, but this time I tried to make it longer. I hope it won't disappoint. Please review, but above all enjoy!!!

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The will to protect

The boy sat in his usual spot, at the staircase of the old, condemned building. He watched the snowflakes ride the icy wind through the narrow alley, noticing how gloomy it was, when the sun didn't shine. He wasn't too happy about the darkness, but the cold on the other hand didn't really bother him. After a few years walking the streets, he had gotten used to the cold. He hugged his knees, gazing through the falling snow, his turquoise eyes searching for a merry-faced, brown-haired girl. She should be here soon...

After all she had been passing through this alley every day for about 2 months, ever since they had met here. Ayame was one of the rich kids and went to school and such. She was in seventh grade, and every single day, when she finished school, she would come to this spot, where he would be waiting for her to teach him. It hadn't been long, before he could read, write, do math and other stuff. Ayame had told him several times that for a 5-year old he was unusually smart.

A small smile appeared on the boy's face, as he saw the familiar figure emerge from the cloudy whiteness. His smile quickly faltered though changing to a look of concern. Something was obviously wrong. Ayame was walking fast, at the break of running, and she kept glancing over her shoulder. The boy rose to his feet, as she approached him. "What's wrong nee-san?" he asked giving her a quizzical look. He noticed the sweat on her face and her slight panting. She had been running… "I'm sorry Shiro-chan… I can't stay today." She threw another glance in the direction she had come from. The distress and fear in her eyes didn't pass the boy unnoticed. "Nee-san?" The question died on his lips, as the answer became visible through the blizzard.

Four young men were quietly approaching them. The boy didn't like it one bit, his instincts told him to run, but he didn't want to leave Ayame's side, a strange urge to protect her keeping his fear at bay. "What do you want?! Stop following me!!!" Ayame was undoubtedly trying to be stern and insisting, but her voice was shrill, and the boy traced fear and exasperation in it. He glared at the men; they wore shabby, dirty clothes just like himself. Ayame sniffed, tears running down her red cheeks. "I will give you my money… Just please leave me alone." Sly grins appeared on the men's faces… Apparently they wanted more than just her money… "Oh no baby… I think you are coming with us," one of them said, reaching for something in his jacket.

The boy reacted instinctively… He had seen a gun be pulled before… Last time it had taken away his mother… This time he wasn't going to freeze up and let those creeps hurt the closest thing he had to family. The boy launched himself towards the man the second he saw the hand emerge from the pocket and screamed for Ayame to run. Getting her away was all that mattered to him; he would have to worry about the rest later. Without the slightest bit of fear he aimed a kick for the only spot, where a boy his size could harm a grown up man. If he could buy some time, Ayame might be able to escape. The man groaned in pain, while the other 3 stood completely dumbfounded from surprise. The kicked guy swung his arm, striking the boy's stomach. The boy felt the air getting knocked out of him and fell to the ground. He rose quickly, as he tried to catch his breath. "What the hell! You are going ta pay for that! Damn kid." The boy ignored the words coming from the man, his attention lingering only to the object in the man's hand. He knew exactly what was going to happen. He had seen it happen before… The day his mother died… That was how he knew that only 5 shots could be fired from that gun. He was well aware that there was no way for him to escape, but if he could take all 5 shots, Ayame's chances would be greatly increased. Even though he had seen death before, he was scared, now that he had no choice but to face it. But he was not going to let those bastards realize that, so he steeled his resolve and met the eyes of the person, he knew would be his killer.

He felt the searing pain in his chest before the sound erupted, warm liquid flowed down his cold body making his shirt sticky, as the taste of blood in his mouth and throat made him want to puke. The men were staring at him with somewhat excited expressions on their faces. The boy just wished they would get on with it… The pain was almost unbearable, but he was determined to take another four shots. He stood there staring at his killer… Waiting, and finally they came. Four shots simultaneously… The boy still stood, the snow below him turning red. "Let's get outa here that kid's not human!!" the men ran off in the direction Ayame had fled…

The boy looked towards the sky. As he watched, he felt number and number, while the sky turned from pure white to grey. He thought it might have been his imagination, when the wind picked up becoming and icy storm. He heard a roar of thunder and fell forward, but at the same time he felt like shooting backwards, while the storm intensified. He landed on his back and heard a soft thud from somewhere near his feet. The storm disappeared. The sky returned to its former whiteness, with snowflakes falling calmly towards the ground.

The boy sat up very slowly and couldn't help, but let out a shocked cry at the sight that met him. He sat wide-eyed in the snow, looking at what appeared to be himself..? Was he dead? His body was lying flat on the stomach with the head turned, so that it faced him. Half his face was buried in the snow, making only one of his eyes visible. A shiver ran down his spine, as he looked into his own barely recognisable eyes. Not even a single gleam was reflected in them. They were just cold, empty, turquoise ponds that kept staring without seeing. He was startled out of his thoughts, when he suddenly he felt something. His skin shivered lightly, as some sort buzzing sensation went through his body. The sensation grew stronger, as if coming closer, and he quickly hid, by entering the condemned building through a gap in the boards blocking the doorway. He had made it just in time. The very moment he turned to keep an eye on his body, he saw her…

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AN: I hope it didn't disappoint… This would be my version of how Hitsugaya died. Ayame is my own idea, and I deliberately tried to make her a little like Hinamori… I will update as soon as possible. Reviews are as always welcome.


	3. A new beginning

AN: Chapter 3 is up! Thanks for the reviews I will do my best to keep you entertained XD… I've tried to update a little early this time, because I won't be able to use the internet this weekend… Reviews are as always greatly appreciated, but in any case please enjoy! :D Oh and the line of dots means change of scenery... And/or character P.O.V

A new beginning

What was that just now? She wondered, as she searched for the slightest trace of the amazing reiatsu, she had just felt. The storm and the reiatsu had disappeared, just as fast as they had arrived, and the snow was again falling calmly from a white sky. It was still too cold for her liking though. She tried to remember, exactly how the reiatsu had felt. It had been wild, rough and uncontrollable energy. Quite different from anything she had ever felt before, but she could tell it hadn't been a hollow.

After the strange reiatsu had disappeared, her group had split in 3 parties, two pairs and her solo, to seek more efficiently for the source of it. Currently she was moving straight through the area, where the sounds had come from, and the storm had occurred. She was just about to change direction, when something caught her attention. She could smell blood. She landed on the ground and followed the scent, and before long she faced one of the saddest things, she had ever experienced.

A red puddle had collared the snow, on which the young boy lay. She rushed to his side and knelt down. Even though she had already known, a lump in her chest tightened, and her eyes burned, when the boy didn't even stir, as she gently touched his shoulder. Very carefully she turned him around to face him, immediately regretting it. He was so young..! Probably not older than five… She couldn't help it… Tears were now streaming down her face. She didn't attempt to wipe them away. Shinigami weren't supposed to show emotions in these sorts of situations, but she didn't care.

She eyed the five bloody holes on the boy's chest. This hadn't been an accident, someone had deliberately killed him. She felt a heated rage rising from the depths of her heart. Haineko was itching with killing intent from her feeling of hate and disgust, and Matsumoto cursed the ancient laws of Soul-Society that forbade her to disturb balance and kill a human being.

She turned her attention to the boy's face, and found herself drowning in deep turquoise pools. For some reason she couldn't explain, she found the dullness of his eyes terrifying, and it took all of her willpower to move her hand and close them. Now that she could avoid his eyes, she took in the rest of his features from his delicate nose to the spiky hair that rivalled the snow in whiteness. She gently ran her fingers through his surprisingly soft hair, removing some stubborn locks from his cute face.

The second she touched him it returned. It was the same reiatsu as before, only this time it was just a faint cool sensation, and it was close by. She turned her gaze to the blocked door. "You don't have to hide from me… I won't hurt you," she said, sending a soft and reassuring smile towards the door. A minute or so went by, before he decided to show himself. She was slightly amused by the fact that he appeared to be even shorter, when standing. He wore a serious expression and his bright, turquoise eyes, seemed to symbolize the power she had felt earlier.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a somewhat cold and casual tone that masked his curiosity quite effectively. "Looking for you… It's my job to make sure that souls like you make it to the afterlife," Matsumoto said, while getting to her feet and grabbing Haineko's hilt, unsheathing her. The boy's eyes widened. "But I can't go yet… I… I have something, I must do!" "Really… What is that?" The boy gazed sideways, clearly considering, whether he should tell her or not. After a moments silence he explained, what had happened, and what he had to do. "I see… So basically you just want to make sure, that this girl… Ayame..? Got away?" The boy nodded. "Alright then… I'll help you." The boy sent her a somewhat sceptical look, taking in her appearance.

Matsumoto felt a slight annoyance blooming. Most people judged and underestimated her because of the way she looked, without even knowing her. And she felt really hurt, that hardly anyone ever seemed to understand, that she was more, than just some big bosomed silly goose. Her thoughts were interrupted, when the boy spoke: "Thanks… I would appreciate that." She looked up, sending the boy a beaming smile, happy that he had accepted her offer, regardless of her appearance.

The boy sent her a quizzical look, when she carefully lifted his limb body from the ground. "Well we can't just let your body lie around like this… Right..?" "I guess…" the boy shrugged. "I think it would be best, if we check up on your girlfriend first and then!?" "SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!!" Matsumoto found herself unable to keep from laughing, as the boy said this, while blushing and at the same time sending her a scowl worthy of the captain commander. "Whatever you say kiddo… As I was saying, after we've done the check up, we should burry you properly, before you pass on…" The serious expression returned to the boy's face, and he nodded in agreement.

"Do you know where to find her?" "…I know where she lives…" Matsumoto knelt down, her back towards the boy, sending him an expectant look over her shoulder. "What…?" the boy asked, eyeing her strange actions suspiciously. "You won't be able to keep up with my pace, so I'm offering you a piggyback…" She thought it was quite natural, but it took a moment, before the boy reluctantly wrapped his thin arms around her neck… "Hold on tight," she said, and they took off…

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They were standing on a small, but cosy balcony, staring through the glass doors that separated them from the girl's room. They had been standing on there for some time, and she was freezing her butt off. She glanced at the boy. His clothes were quite thin, but the cold didn't seem to bother him at all… Just what is that boy? She thought. A tiny smile of relief suddenly appeared on the boy's face. Matsumoto turned her attention towards the room, where a girl had just entered. She looked teary and shaken, but completely healthy. They watched the girl in silence for another few minutes, before Matsumoto offered the boy another piggyback ride. This time he didn't hesitate, and she was happy that she slowly, was gaining his trust.

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The snow made a soft scrunching noise, when they landed. She had brought them to a small hill, at the city outskirts… The snowfall had stopped, and the sun was setting in the horizon, making the snow glimmer with a warm, golden colour. A solitary tree stood on the hilltop, stretching its branches, as if trying to reach the sky. "Is this a good spot?" Matsumoto asked, as the boy let go of her and landed on his own feet. "Yeah… It's perfect, but how are we going to dig the hole?" "Oh that's not a problem… You better step back though…" She placed the body gently on the ground, before taking a stance and saying: "Hadou no sanjuusan Shakkahou!" The boy leapt back in surprise, when a red ball of energy erupted from her palms, leaving behind a minor crater, when it hit the ground. After carefully having manoeuvred the body into the crater and covered it with dirt, Matsumoto turned towards the boy…

"Well… I guess it's time for you to go kiddo…" She smiled, but didn't at all like the thought that she would probably never see him again. Turquoise and sky-blue met, as their eyes locked. "Thanks for your help… Will…" Matsumoto's curiosity peeked at the boy's hesitation. "Will I ever see you again?" Deeply touched by the question, Matsumoto launched herself at the boy, embracing him in a suffocating hug, and whispered in his ear: "Don't worry… I have a feeling we'll meet again some day…" The boy gasped for breath as soon as she let him go. She then stood up and drew Haineko. Sending him her trademark smile, she said: "Until we meet again boy…" With a light touch to his forehead from Haineko's hilt, she performed the soulburial.

She couldn't count how many soulburials, she had performed during her time as shinigami. She mused about this, as yet another butterfly fluttered towards the golden sky. Somehow this time was different… Never had she wished so strongly that she would meet a soul on the other side. She knew the odds were bad, and in time the boy would certainly forget about her, as the memories of his life got erased. She sighed and promised herself that she would never forget him.


	4. The shrimp and the giant

AN: Hello I'm back with chapter 4!! Finally finished the (I guess it's a sort of mini arc…) with Toshiro's death and all… Well what's going to happen now that he made it to Rukongai..? Oh and thanks for the reviews so far :3 you guys are really kind… (Tries to hug air)… (Fails miserably and falls off chair…) Whoops..! On with the story..!

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The shrimp and the giant

He slowly sat up and opened his eyes… He was sitting on a dusty road in a shabby looking town. The street was busy. People in simple, worn-out clothes were moving around, some were pulling carriages. Others were just sitting on the ground, leaning against the wooden walls of the small houses and stores that lined the street. He stood up and realized his clothes had changed… Instead of his bloody, grey shirt and regular jeans, it seemed he was now dressed in a traditional, grey, sleeveless yukata, which ended just above his knees. His sneakers were gone too, leaving him barefooted.

He got to his feet and padded a passing man on the thigh…

"What do you want kid?! I don't have anything for you to drink!!"

"What..? No… I was just wondering, what this place is…"

"So you're a newbie eh..? Well you better remember this well kid… Don't bother people around here unless you want to die young again…"

With that the man left, leaving behind a very confused boy. Well that was a big help… Might as well start looking for somewhere to sleep, he mused and headed off, not really knowing, what he was looking for…

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He had bin there for 2 days… 2 days!! And he was already sick of the place… The grown-ups were rude, unpleasant and often downright violent, and something about his appearance just seemed to draw their attention and tick them off… He couldn't count the number of times; someone had called him shrimp, midget or shorty with no more provocation, than him just being there… He knew, it could be much worse, but being referred to that way, was starting to piss him off… And here he was… Literally getting mocked by some stupid, old geezer…

"Ha ha ha… You've got' ta be kidding me!!" the old man laughed hysterically, as tears formed in his eyes.

"What's so strange about it?" Hitsugaya asked sending him an annoyed glare…

"Okay… Let me get this straight," the guy said, still wearing a stupid, goofy and half toothless smile. He pointed at the small boy on the other side of the counter. "You want ta know, where you can get food, because you are starving, as you haven't had anything ta eat since you arrived here two days ago??"

"That's correct." Hitsugaya growled…

The old guy started laughing hysterically again... "Well you ain't going ta find any food around here, no one needs it, but hey you can have some water, if you can pull a job for me…"

Hitsugaya considered for a moment… He hadn't really had anything to drink either, and his throat was dry and sore because of all the dust. He nodded to the shopkeeper, showing he was listening.

"Alright… I have received a small shipment of water today… Your job is ta carry the jars to the storage in the back… Got it?" He said, while pointing towards a door behind him, inclining that was the storage.

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It had been much harder than he had expected… Every jar had been almost the same size as himself and really heavy too… He took a sip from the calabash he had earned, as he walked down the street a single thought constantly bothering him…

Just what did the old man mean by no one needs food around here? Was it so unusual to be hungry after not having anything to eat for 2 days..?

His thoughts were disturbed, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He wriggled round and jumped backwards, so he was facing the guy, who had tried to grab hold of him… It was a brute looking man… Probably in his mid-thirties… He was almost twice as tall as Hitsugaya, and wore an alarming and unpleasant expression on his rough face…

"Where did ya steal that water midget?"

"I didn't steal it… I earned it… And I'm not a midget." Hitsugaya answered calmly, as he took another sip from the calabash.

Hitsugaya smirked at the stupid and confused expression that appeared on the man's face. Some people were just so easy to throw off…

"Like I care… Just hand it over midget!!"

"Or… What..?" Hitsugaya teased on, while staring down the much bigger adult…

"I'll crush that puny, little head of yours!"

"I don't think so…" Hitsugaya said taking another sip…

It was no surprise, when it happened… Hitsugaya had counted on it… The man finally lost it and charged him in one long sweep motion. It was extraordinarily easy to dodge, and with perfect timing Hitsugaya planted his foot in a convenient spot, tripping the man, so he kissed the dirt seconds later…

"Who's the midget now?" Hitsugaya asked, a vein pulsating on his temple as he looked down on the man with a somewhat triumphant smile… The smile faltered pretty quickly though, as the shouts from the surrounding crowd reached Hitsugaya's ears.

"Who the hell, do you think, you are brat!!?"

Six men were standing in a half-circle about 5 meters away, and they didn't look too pleased, with his attitude. While Hitsugaya didn't have much trouble dealing with one slow, hot-headed guy, six was not ideal… Unnecessary fights weren't his style, but running away was to spit on his pride, so he took his stance, ready for anything… Except what happened…

All six men had charged at him at the same time, and before he had even moved, something huge had brushed them aside… Hitsugaya spun around and couldn't help the widening of his eyes and the gaping of his mouth at the sight that met him. A humungous giant towered above him.

The man had to be at least 10 meters tall… He was wearing a black kimono that cut across the waist, leaving the right side of the giant's upper body covered and the left side naked, and his left shoulder and upper arm was equipped with heavy plate amour… The giant's face was somewhat primitive with a squared jaw, and sideburns long enough to be tied in small tufts in the crook of his neck… On top of his head was a red fez…

"Shrimp… Are you stupid or brave to take on so many opponents at the same time?"

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth… He had had enough… He didn't care about the fact, that the one calling him shrimp was at least 15 times taller than himself… "I'M NOT A SHRIMP!!!" He felt the temperature drop slightly and saw the giant's eyes widen, as he shouted it.

"…Who… are you..?"

Hitsugaya was surprised at the change of tone… It was very serious with a slight hint of curiosity… "I'm Hitsugaya Toshiro…"

"I am Ikkanzaka Jidanbo… Keeper of the West Gate of Seireitei…"

"Seireitei..?"

"The place where the shinigami lives…"

"Shinigami..?"

"Shinigami help lost souls from the world of the living reach Soul Society…"

"Oh…" Hitsugaya remembered the young woman, who had helped him… She had been unusually beautiful and kind…

Hitsugaya didn't notice he had spaced out, before the giant spoke again… "It appears, you know, what I am talking about…" Another moment passed… "You still haven't answered my question… Are you stupid or brave..?"

Hitsugaya considered for a moment before answering: "Neither… I just don't like to flee…"

"I see… Toshiro was it..? Are you by any chance hungry..?"

Hitsugaya was startled by the question… Just how did the giant know he was hungry?! "… What if I am..?"

"Then you should come with me… Your chances of survival here in the seventy-third district are practically nonexistent, if you have to worry about food… I am on my way back to Junrinan… The first district… You would be better of there…"

The slight concern in the giant's voice made Hitsugaya curious… "Why do you care..?"

"… You have the size of a shrimp and the pride of a dragon… You are definitely no ordinary kid… Only time will show, what to expect, but it would be a waste to let you die from hunger…

Hitsugaya had no idea, what Jidanbo was rambling about, but decided to tag along… Wherever they were going couldn't be worse than this place…

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Many heads were turned, as they moved through the village. Jidanbo walking at a steady pace, and him self following suit half running to keep up… He had refused being carried, stating that he could handle himself…

"Can you tell me something about the place we're headed Jidanbo-san..?"

"…Sure… Let me start, by teaching you the city rules…"

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AN: That's it… I hope I didn't make Jidanbo too ooc… He was incredibly hard to write, which is also the reason for the delayed posting… Next chapter I will be introducing Hinamori… I tried to do the layout a little differently this time… Please tell me if you like it better this way, where I use more space between the lines during communication… As usual I would love to get some reviews… Especially this time, since I'm really uncertain about the whole Jidanbo-thing… Oh well thanks for reading anyway :D…


	5. Place called home people called family

AN: Chapter 5 is up!!! Sorry for the late update, I had a lot to attend to last week… This chapter is my idea of how Hitsugaya and Hinamori met… Thanks for the review and the favourite XD… I hope the chapter won't disappoint… On with the story!!!

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Place called home and people called family

He gaped at the enormous, heavy, wooden gate in front of him. It was even taller than Jidanbo, and the pure, white stonewall on either side of the gate seemed to continue for eternity, making it quite magnificent…

"This is the West Gate… We will part here… Good luck in the future Toshiro…"

Hitsugaya snapped back to reality and focused his attention on Jidanbo. "Right… Thanks for everything Jidanbo-san..." He bowed his head in gratitude and turned to leave.

"Until we meet again Toshiro…"

Hitsugaya waved a last farewell and continued his way back through the city. The mild rays of the dawn had only just appeared from beyond the horizon, and they warmed his face, as he walked towards them. It was too early for people to be out, and Hitsugaya enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was so different from where he had been 5 days earlier… He walked calm and determined out of the city. While on their way to the gate; he and Jidanbo had passed smaller villages and more isolated houses in the fields and forests at the city-outskirts… He would prefer to live there if possible, so that was his heading.

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It was around noon… Hitsugaya was sitting in the shade of a great oak tree on the edge of a broad gorge… He stared into empty space, considering where to go and what to do next, as he listened to the roar of the river several meters below him…

"Oh no!"

Hitsugaya looked up to see, who was shouting. Three persons were standing on the opposite side of the gorge… Two young boys and a girl… The girl had been the one shouting… She was young, probably in her early teens. Her hair was short and dark, and she had a delicate figure… Hitsugaya was amazed by the resemblance, the girl had to his old friend Ayame… Same size, same age, same features… The only obvious difference was this girl's much darker hair colour…

Hitsugaya quickly discovered the reason behind the girl's sudden outburst, as he watched her carefully climbing closer to the edge of the gorge in order to reach a scarf, that appeared to be stuck at the end of a thin branch… Hitsugaya's eyes widened… There's no way that branch can support her weight!!! Doesn't she realise that?!

His unspoken question was answered almost immediately, as a loud cracking noise and a surprised yelp soon followed by a splash confirmed his worries… He jumped to his feet and saw the girl struggle in the water… It was clear that she was anything but a good swimmer. She seemed to have immense trouble just keeping her head above the water, and the strong current wasn't making it easier for her…

The two boys on the other side of the gorge appeared to be panicking… First they stood paralyzed and completely horror-struck, before they turned around and sprinted off, probably to get help… Hitsugaya shook his head in disbelief… There was no time to get help, something had to be done, or the girl would drown…

He ran along the gorge… He knew the possibility of swimming to the girl literally didn't exist because of his size… But if he could get ahead of her and then jump in, the current would bring her to him… He drew in a deep breath and jumped…

The water was cool and violent, and he felt himself being tossed around. He surfaced and scouted for the girl, but couldn't see her… Shit!! She must have gone under… He dived again… The visibility in the water was close to zero, but luckily enough, as he had predicted, the current practically placed the girl directly in his arms… For a fraction of a second he met her dark, brown eyes, before she lost consciousness and went limb…

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"Do you think it suits me Ah-chan? Te-chan?" She tucked at the delicate green scarf, she wore loosely on her shoulders…

Her friends looked at her and then they both nodded… She send them a beaming smile, but suddenly the light fabric caught hold of a gust of wind and took flight… The girl's eyes followed the fabric, and she quickly realised that it would soon end up in the river…

"Oh no!" Fortunately the scarf got stuck at the end of a small branch, before it reached the water… She sighed in relief and went to retrieve it.

"Oi! You are not seriously going to climb the branch, are you?" The girl was touched by the slight worry in her friend's voice…

"Don't worry Ah-chan… I'm not very heavy… Besides… That's Baa-chan's favourite scarf… She would be really sad if I lost it…"

She then proceeded to climb the branch… It swayed slightly under her weight, and she had trouble keeping her balance, but she was determined to retrieve the scarf… She felt herself paralyzing with fear, as the branch made a loud cracking noise. It seemed to be happening in slow-motion… She grabbed the branch so tightly, her knuckles went white, but it didn't help, when the branch finally snapped…

For a moment it seemed she was just hanging in the air, staring head first directly into the water below her… She wanted to scream, but only a terrified yelp escaped her numb lips… Then she fell… Pain shot through her, as her right foot hit the rock-solid side of the gorge on the way down…

Then the water was all around her, and she panicked, as she was tossed around, the water getting into her nose and mouth. She choked and struggled to keep her head surfaced… She tried to think, but her mind was blank, and in a matter of seconds she was under water again… Desperation welled up inside her, as she without success tried to resurface…

Is this it? Am I going to die now? She felt strong current drag her further down the river… She was too exhausted to struggle, and had more or less given up, when a pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around her waist… She tried to see, what was going on, but dark spots were dancing before her eyes, making her vision blurry… All she saw was a flash of the brightest turquoise, then everything went black…

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It felt as if the light was trying to penetrate her eyelids, as it warmed her face… She could feel her wet front hair stick to her forehead, and she shivered slightly in her soaked clothes… What happened? Why am I so wet? She slowly opened her eyes… The clear, blue sky could be seen directly above her, through a gap in the treetops that allowed a few sunrays to warm her up…

Her eyes widened, as she remembered, what had happened… She jerked up and immediately felt a throbbing pain from her right foot…

"Itaaaaaaiii!!" She gazed at the source of pain and wished she hadn't… Her right foot was almost black, and it had swollen to almost twice its usual size around the ankle, where an unpleasant looking bump seemed to be protruding in a wrong direction… Bluish bruises and minor cuts adorned the lower part of her leg… There is no way; I'm going to be able to walk on that, she thought, while eyeing the injury with a somewhat disgusted expression, biting her lip to avoid crying about the throbbing pain… Just how the hell did I get here in the first place?

"You really are an awful swimmer…"

The girl was startled by the cold voice, and turned her head to see, who had spoken. She was quite surprised, by what she saw… A little boy probably not more than five years old sat relaxed, leaning against a tree trunk and told her that she was a bad swimmer…

"Were you the one who…?" She didn't have to finish… The second she looked into his eyes, she knew, he had been the one to save her… How could she forget those turquoise eyes..? The last thing she saw before loosing consciousness… Now that she inspected him closer, he was obviously soaked too… Water was dripping steadily from his messy, white front hair… He was very short and so skinny, she wondered, when he had last had a proper meal… How the hell had a shrimp like him gotten her out the river?

"How..?" Her disbelieving tone and expression appeared to be enough for him to figure out her question…

"Well I couldn't swim against such a strong current… So I just focused on staying surfaced, drifting along until it wore off so I could get us ashore… It was pretty much a gamble from my part… But there wasn't really time to think…"

"Thanks…" She didn't know what else to say…

"So now that you have woken up, we better get you home…" He gave her a serious and slightly concerned look…

"Okay…" She tried to stand up, but sat down again right away due to the pain in her foot.

"Don't even think about that… Your ankle is broke, so I'll have to carry you…" The got to his feet and went to help her up, before he offered her a piggyback…

"But aren't I too heavy?" She wasn't fat or anything, but considering his size…

"Don't worry… I have carried loads of stuff… You'd be surprised how much you can carry using this method…"

He gave her a reassuring nod, and she carefully climbed his back… As soon as she was positioned, he began walking back along the river… She knew they must have drifted quite far… The pain in her foot was bad, but the feeling of being a burden was even worse, and she cursed her own stupidity, for not listening to Ah-chan's warning…

"My name is Hinamori Momo by the way…" she informed in lack of anything better to say… The boy just grunted, apparently not yet going to reveal his own name… She didn't really mind… He had already done a lot for her… She wasn't going to ask anymore from him, even if it was something as humble as his name…

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It was sunset, when he heard voices… Lots of hurried, anxious voices… Distant calls that steadily came closer…They were searching for the girl… Apparently the two boys had succeeded in getting help… He walked up one last hill and saw a group of about 20 people a short distance away…

"Baa-chan!" Hinamori called out and started waving…

Hitsugaya stopped dead in his tracks as all heads were turned against him… He didn't like the silent attention at all… Suddenly a loud cry of joy erupted from somewhere in the middle of the crowd, and Hitsugaya saw a tiny, old lady running towards him as fast as her short, old legs would allow her…

He gently put Hinamori to the ground, letting her lean on him, so she could stand on her one good leg… The old woman hugged Hinamori, while sobbing with relief… The second she was in her grandmother's embrace, Hinamori burst into tears…

"I'm sorry Baa-chan… I lost your scarf… And I didn't mean to make everyone worry so much!!"

Hinamori's grandmother just hugged her tighter and said: "Silly girl… Everything that matter is that you are okay…That's the most important thing for Granny…"

With a small ghost of a smile at his lips, Hitsugaya watched the scene for a while, but felt rather awkward just standing there… He couldn't think of anything more, he could do, so he just turned around to leave…

"Wait a minute young man…"

Hitsugaya almost thought it was meant for someone else… No one had ever addressed him as young man before… He turned around slowly to meet the eyes of the old woman…

"Yes Mam?"

"Hinamori just told me, what you did… And I would like to thank you, as well as make a request…"

Hitsugaya waited for the old lady to continue… His curiosity peeked, as Hinamori gazed at him with a mixed expression of nervousness and excitement…

"From what Hinamori tells me, you do not have a home… Hinamori and I would be happy and honoured, if you would stay with us…"

He was taken aback by the request, and wasn't sure, whether it was because they really cared for his company, or just wanted to repay the favour, until Hinamori send him a look that could only mean please…

He bowed his head in respect… "If it's not too much trouble…" He couldn't really identify the feeling he had in his stomach… It was just… Strange… He had been on his own for so long… And now he had a home… A family… Maybe he was nervous… His social experiences were after all second to none… Then again he was usually a fast leaner… He would probably get the hang of it… In time…

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AN: That's it… I'm so sorry it took so long… It's longer than usual though… I hope it wasn't too dramatic… I just had an idea that I had to get out of my head XD… Next time will be more like a couple of short-stories about life in Rukongai… Mainly Hitsugaya's thoughts on Hinamori attending the shinigami-academy… Oh and I changed the summary… The story is going to be the same… I just thought, I would try out, having a few lines from the new chapter instead… To see how works out… I was out of letters, when I made the summary, so it got pretty sucky… I will update as soon as possible… Hopefully not as late as I did this chapter…


	6. Stories from Junrinan

A/N: Chapter six finally up!! I had to work with a great many ideas to make this chapter right, thus the late update… Thanks for the review and the favourites; all of it makes me really happy XD… This chapter is written simply to give an impression of life in Junrinan… Therefore there will be different timelines… As always enjoy! And if you have the time, leave a review, because I love reading them :D… Here goes!

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Stories from Junrinan

Red and white was the only thing he saw, as the blood spread on the ground beneath his mother's hair… Warm tears trickled down his face… He called for her, but she didn't answer, and the concept of death was unfathomable in his young mind… He didn't understand… He didn't understand anything… Why had she told him to run? Why had he just been standing there, frozen and paralyzed unable to move? Why had that man hurt his mother? Why wouldn't she open her eyes?

He shook her slightly, begging her to talk to him, as he sat in the rain… He was too young to comprehend his feelings of loneliness and despair, which left him behind with nothing but his fear… So he just sat there… Afraid, alone and lost in the rain…

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Hitsugaya sat up with a jolt, the second he woke up. He was panting, and he could feel his front-hair stick to his sweaty face… He rested his forehead in the palm of his hand, as he fought down the urge to vomit that came from his gut. But his hand was clammy and didn't help ease his throbbing headache… Suddenly he felt another hand on his forehead… It was cool and gentle… He gazed sideways and met Hinamori's worried eyes…

"I think you have a fever…" she said, as she removed her hand.

"Don't worry… It was just a nightmare that's all…" He glared at her sternly, determined to convince her that he was fine… He didn't like being pitied; it just made him feel pathetic…

"There is nothing just about nightmares!" Hitsugaya was surprised by her slightly offended tone of voice…

"I used to wet my bed every time I had a nightmare, when I was your age! So don't act like it's no big deal, when you look awful…"

Hitsugaya could tell she wasn't angry… Above all she seemed worried… He turned away and nodded slightly in order to show that he understood, what she meant. He wondered why she would share such a personal piece of information with him, when they had known each other for less than a day… He concluded she was just one of those persons who trusted others easily…

They sat on the bedrolls in silence for a moment, before she decided to change the subject. "You never told me your name…"

He looked at her again, and was slightly amused by the obvious curiosity on her face… "It's Hitsugaya Toshiro…"

Hitsugaya noticed how the corners of Hinamori's mouth were suddenly twitching upwards, as her body shook from confined laughter… "What's so funny..?" He asked, beginning to get annoyed, when she didn't say anything…

Hinamori snorted and began giggling, as she gave up trying to conceal her obvious amusement… "Ha ha ha… I'm sorry… It's just… I usually call my friends by pet-names that consist of one or two syllables from their original name, before I add chan…"

She giggled even harder, while Hitsugaya merely raised a single eyebrow… Does Hitsugaya mean something stupid around here..? He wondered, still awaiting the apparently hilarious punch-line

It took another moment before Hinamori gathered herself enough to notice, he still didn't get the joke… "Don't you see..? That would make you Shiro-chan!"

Hitsugaya growled indignantly at the fact that she was joking about not just his height, but also his hair… Oh well… He could play that game too…H He crossed his arms and turned his head away from her with a taunting smile on his lips… "At least I'm not a bed-wetter… Bedwetter-Momo!"

"What Shiro-chan you're mean!" she wined, but it was easy to tell that she was amused rather than hurt… She had been the one asking for it after all…

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"But can't you at least give him a chance? It's not like he has ever done you any harm..."

Hinamori despised arguing, she had never the less been desperately trying to persuade her friends to let Hitsugaya participate in their simple game of soccer for almost an hour… She glanced backwards at the subject of the conflict only a short distance away… He was gazing at his feet, as he leant relaxed against a tree-trunk… He didn't seem to care the least about the fact that the others didn't want him in the game…

"Sorry Hinamori-chan… We know he's your little brother, but he's seriously scary… Besides he's always better than anyone else… It's just no fun getting beat in everything by a five-year-old rookie…"

All her friends nodded in unison… She sighed heavily… That was something, she could relate to… Toshiro was extremely good at whatever he did… He didn't even have to practice to become really good at something… She remembered the first time; she had convinced him to play a little soccer with her… As soon as she had explained the rules, he had played like it was the easiest thing in the world… That was probably his most annoying characteristic, and he was already pretty much of an outsider due to his eye and hair-colour… She sighed again and nodded quietly before walking to her brother…

"Shiro-chan… I don't think it's a good idea if you play along… Even if all of us played against you, you would probably still win, and…" But he interfered before she finished…

"It's alright… I've got other stuff to do anyway… And don't call me that…" His tone was unconcerned, but rather cold, and even though it was a hot summer day, she felt a chill run down her spine and goose bumps on her skin. She shivered from the sudden cold, staring as he just walked off…

Hinamori turned around to rejoin her friends, and was surprised by the look on their faces… Each and every one of them for a mere second was staring at Toshiro's departing back with expressions of fear… She shook her head, convincing herself it must have been her imagination… There was no way her tiny brother could have spooked them like that… It just wasn't logical…

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"Baa-chan! Baa-chan! Look it's snowing outside!" Hitsugaya rolled his eyes at the fact that Hinamori was bouncing up and down with glee, as she pointed out the window, where great, white snowflakes calmly and gracefully were falling towards the pure, white ground…

"Look Shiro-chan! It's snowing!"

He couldn't help smiling at the eagerness in her voice... "Yeah… I noticed…" It was the first time he saw snow since he had arrived in soul-society, and he was pretty eager to get out himself, even though he wouldn't admit it…

"Baa-chan I have an idea…" Hinamori suddenly burst out…

"What might that be?" Granny asked and sat down in her favourite chair in the corner of the small living room…

"Sine it's the first snow of this winter, shouldn't we make today Shiro-chan's birthday?"

Hitsugaya twitched at the nickname… "Stop calling me…"

"I think it's a great idea," Granny interrupted before he finished… "Then the 20th of December it is…"

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Hitsugaya watched from a distance, as Hinamori proudly showed her friends the pink orb she had managed to conjure using, what she called reiatsu… They were obviously impressed, flocking around her in awe, giving her congratulating pads on the shoulders, as if she had achieved something beyond their reach…

He had observed for another moment before heading home to eat some watermelon on the veranda… It always helped him clear his thoughts, and he wasn't sure, what to think about Hinamori's newfound powers… He knew reiatsu and shinigami walked hand in hand because of Jidanbo, and he wondered, just what happened, when someone realised they had spirit power… Is that how you become a shinigami in the first place..? He mused and took yet another bite, as he watched the sunset… Hitsugaya didn't turn around, when he heard the soft thuds of footsteps approaching him…

"Jeez… I don't know anyone, who can eat as much watermelon as you Shiro-chan…" Hinamori sat down beside him and helped herself to a piece of the juicy fruit…

"You know… I'm going to leave soon…" she said hesitantly…

Hitsugaya choked, before glaring at her… It wasn't completely unexpected… Shinigami belonged in Seireitei, not in Rukongai, and he had had a nagging feeling that she would have to leave sooner or later, now that she had discovered her powers… He had just been hoping it would be later…

"I'm going to attend the shinigami-academy, so that I can join the 13 protection-squads and help a lot of souls reach soul-society…" she said beaming with pride and joy…

"Good for you…" Hitsugaya snapped without even looking at her…

"Are you jealous?" she asked rather surprised…

"No…" He wasn't jealous… He just didn't want her to leave… He didn't have anyone but her and Granny… Everyone else were so scared, they didn't even dare approach him, and if Hinamori attended the academy, she would be much less around… But above everything else, he was worried about Granny… She had been loosing a little weight lately, and she was more tired than before… He decided not to tell Hinamori about his thoughts, when he saw her eyes practically sparkle with joy and excitement… He had never seen her this happy… He sighed before grapping another piece of watermelon… So what if he was lonelier than before? He wasn't a kid, he could deal… And Granny still had him… He would take care of her… Definitely…

"Stop messing around… Why would I want to go to some boring school?!" He said, before he spat a barrage of watermelon seeds in her face…

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_I dream of a plain of ice…_

He gazed at the never-ending icy planes with the white sky he had seen so often.

_I feel the presence of "ice"…_

It felt as if this world was a part of him… Or maybe he was a part of this world.

_I hear a voice… An echoing voice…_

He could spot a light from behind the darkening clouds, couldn't locate the source of the voice.

_Crushing… Engulfing…_

The light grew… The voice was getting louder… Coming ever closer…

_Resounding into the distance…_

The voice was everywhere… It was as if the entire world tried to speak to him…

_Just like thunder…_

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"Good morning! Shiro-chan!"

Hitsugaya found Hinamori's far too cheery face hovering directly above him… "…Get out of my face," he growled, and tried to recall his dream… _I hear a voice…Crushing… Engulfing…_

Hinamori stood up and brushed her academy robe… "Come on! Get up and eat your breakfast! It's my first day, I don't want to be late!"

She sprinted off… "I'm just gonna go say goodbye to Te-chan and Ah-chan next door, 'kay?"

He gazed after her… _Resounding into the distance… Just like thunder…_He slowly got up… "…Tch, what a pain." _Brushing against my hand… Like a delicate flower… _The world of ice appeared before his minds eye once more… _On that plain of ice, I die._

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"See ya later! I'll be staying at the dormitories, but I'll still come see you whenever I have the chance!!" Hinamori shouted, while waving at them… She looked tiny, as she stood there in front the West Gate…

"Don't bother coming back here ever again Bedwetter-Momo!"

Granny turned to him and put her hand on his head… As always she was calm and friendly, even when she was going to give him a lecture… "My, my how rude… Even though you won't be seeing her for a while, you say such things to her…"

Hitsugaya just rubbed the back of his neck deliberately making his tone casual, pretending not to care, before answering: "Who even cares? I mean, she'll be free, like, straight away, right? I bet she'll be back here in no time."

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A/N: That's it… I hope there was enough fiction in this… I mean… Everyone has probably seen the last part before… Anyway… Next time! Matsumoto returns! XD… Please review… That's always nice :D… Either way thanks for reading XD… I will update as soon as possible…


	7. Onesided reunion

A/N: Here is chapter 7! Can't believe its 7 already O.o… Thank you so much for all the reviews and the favourites ^.^ !! I'm so happy you guys like the story, and don't worry; I'll do my best to keep updating as fast and regularly as possible!!… Oh and I hope you had a happy Halloween everyone \(^0^)/... Ok enough of my rambling and disturbed smileys XD… On with the story!!

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One-sided reunion

"It's so unfair!!!" Matsumoto slammed her fist on the table, before huffing and leaning back on the couch with her arms crossed… She could trace some sympathy in Kyoraku's features, as he took another sip of his sake…

She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly a few times, in order to calm herself, before continuing in a more natural tone… "How come 10th division hasn't had a captain for like..? Forever! Just because of that, we never get any real missions… All we ever get is the boring paperwork no one else wants to deal with… And now this!"

She sent the document on the table before her an annoyed glare… She was supposed to deliver it to a shopkeeper in Junrinan… Of course the document wasn't really important; otherwise it would have been handled by some other division… What am I a mailman? She thought, her index finger tapping the table rapidly from held back frustration…

"The 11th, 12th and 4th squads have certain purposes… Does that mean that the purpose of the10th division is mere paperwork and mail delivery?" She let her face rest in her palm and sighed heavily before looking up to meet Kyoraku's friendly, grey eyes…

"Yare yare Ran-chan… It's not like any of you do that paperwork anyway… But I understand how you feel... Your division is even less popular than the 12th, and that's really something…" Kyoraku tilted the brim of his hat and sighed, before looking back up at her… "It's not like we aren't trying to find you a captain… They just don't grow on the trees you know…"

Kyoraku took another sip and scratched the back of his neck… Suddenly his face lit up, as if he had been struck by some brilliant idea… "Do you want me to transfer you to my division? You could be my third-seat if you want…"

Matsumoto felt a wave of gratitude spread from her stomach to the rest of her body. Even though she knew; she would have to decline, she appreciated the offer… "I'm sorry Kyoraku taichou, but considering my reputation, I don't think it's such a good idea…"

Matsumoto desperately tried to suppress the bitter frown that was threatening to appear on her face, hen she said that… She couldn't count the number of people, even in her own squad, who believed she had achieved the rank of sixth-seat, simply by seducing higher ranking shinigami, and according to some even an officer or two… It was nothing but pathetic rumours, but it hurt nevertheless…

She had only been with one man in her whole life, and she wasn't with him anymore… She unconsciously clenched her hands into fists, when she thought about him… She never knew quite what to think… A part of her loved the boy, who had saved her life… The man she fell in love with… Another part despised and hated him for all the things; he had done to her… The man he had turned into… Truth was he had probably always been like that… She just hadn't been able to see…

"Oi… Ran-chan you're spacing out there…"

Matsumoto shook her head and sent her drinking buddy a beaming smile, pretending that everything was fine… "Sorry Kyoraku taichou… I think its best I leave now, this…" She glanced at the document… "Has to be delivered by noon after all…"

Kyoraku simply sent her a goofy grin, while waving, as she got up… "Come by any time Ran-chan!!"

Matsumoto waved and exited the 8th squad compound, before shunpoing her way to the West Gate…

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"Yare yare… What a waste… It feels like watching a beautiful flower wither away… Doesn't it Nanao-chan?" Kyoraku said, as he glanced over his shoulder, to meet the gaze of his vice-captain…

Nanao went to her desk and ridded herself of the stack of papers she had been carrying... "Yes… It is a pity… Is it true..? Is it that difficult to find a captain..?"

Kyoraku smiled, when Nanao used her index finger to push her glasses to the bridge of her nose, while giving him a stern glare… She always did that, when she wanted a straight answer from him…

"I'm afraid so… That incident about a century ago really took its toll on us… It's been hard finding enough replacements in such a short period… I guess Yama-jii figured 10th division would do better without a captain, than the other divisions would, and had them be last in line…"

Nanao simply nodded… "You know Nanao-chan… I really wouldn't mind having her in my division…"

"I must say I agree with Rangiku-san on this matter Kyoraku taichou… I know Rangiku, so I can tell those rumours are nothing more than cruel lies… The problem is that in most people's eyes, truth isn't a concept of fact, but a concept of belief…" Nanao's expression changed to one of indignity on behalf of her friend…

Kyoraku hid a smile under the brim of his hat… That sharp, wise mind of hers was the real reason he loved her so much… It set her apart from other beautiful women, making her unique… "That's my beautiful Nanao-chan for you!" He exclaimed in his best sing-song voice getting to his feet and attempting to hug her…

"Whack"

"Ow Nanao-chan… That hurt…" He pouted, while rubbing the unfortunate hand Nanao's fan had connected with…

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Hitsugaya raised his hand as a goodbye-gesture… He noticed how Hinamori's hair had gotten a little longer, since he had last seen her… He hadn't grown an inch, and still looked like an eight-year old, just like he had, when Hinamori had left for the academy five years prior…

She had been visiting less often lately, and the number of visits would probably decrease even more… After all she wasn't going back to the academy this time… Hitsugaya remembered the overjoyed expression she had worn, when telling him she and two of her classmates had been allowed to graduate a year earlier than usual, because this oh so glorious Aizen taichou had taken an interest in their abilities…

He pushed himself off the roof and landed softly on the ground below, before gazing over his shoulder… Granny was sitting on her knees in the middle of the living room, looking thinner, older and more fragile than ever… He felt a lump of guilt forming in his chest at the sight… Is it because I'm not taking good enough care of her? He wanted to do something for her… Anything…

"…Toshiro…"

"Hey… I'm gonna go buy some ama-natto… We're running out…" He knew it wasn't really important, but he really wanted to help her out in any way he could…

She didn't say anything, when she gently placed the money in his hand, she just sent him a soft, and strangely sad smile, before he ran out the door…

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Matsumoto's mood hadn't increased much, when she finally arrived at the store… She noticed a short, white-haired boy standing by the counter…She didn't want to interrupt, while a customer was being served, so she didn't say anything...

The boy stretched out his hand in order to get his change, but for some reason the shopkeeper just placed them on the desk… Matsumoto frowned with confusion… Why was the shopkeeper treating that kid with such rudeness? The boy looked up at the shopkeeper, his hand still in the air…

The shopkeeper simply turned his back on the boy, before snapping: "Go home, as soon as you are finished here…" Matsumoto stared in disbelief, as the boy lowered his head slightly and sighed before picking up his change…

She felt a vein pulsating on her forehead, as anger and on the boy's behalf filled her body... No one should treat others like that, when she was watching, and then get away with it…

"Hey you!!!" She quickly made her way towards the counter, not paying much attention, as her huge assets collided with the boys face, making his head crash into the counter behind him…

She held the shopkeeper in a death glare, standing tall and with her hands on her hips, as she scolded him… "You shouldn't treat customers like that! Are you taking advantage of him because he's a kid?! I never realized how rude the people at this store were!"

"N-no…" Then man behind the desk began, still shaken by her sudden outburst…

But she didn't want to hear any stupid excuses, and turned her attention to the boy instead… He was lying face down, shivering slightly, as he clutched the back of his head with both hands… How pathetic… She grabbed his kimono tightly and lifted him by the collar until his face was level with hers; leaving him hanging almost a meter above the ground…

"And you!!! Don't just lie there crying about it!! If you're a man, you should stand up for yourself like one!!" She shouted, while being only inches apart from the boy's face…

"Whose fault do you think it is?! You are the one who knocked me down!! Besides I wasn't crying!! Now let go!!!" Matsumoto couldn't help, but stare in surprise, as she recognised his turquoise orbs, and the wild, cold reiatsu his anger made him emit… This kid…

"I said let go!!!" He knocked her hand away, and stormed away…

"Ah! Hey! Wait right there!" She called, stretching out her hand, as if trying to reach him, but he didn't spare her a second glance, and a moment later he was out of sight…

That boy… Naturally he hadn't recognised her… He'd been dead for about ten years after all… But it still made a little sad… The look he had sent her had been unusually cold, and his reiatsu… She remembered the very first time, she had felt it, and she could tell it had been growing even more powerful ever since… She held no doubts; it would be extremely dangerous, for anyone near him, if it went out of control like that again… The faster he learned to control it the better…

Matsumoto thought everything over a couple of times, before making her final decision… She would go to the captain commander and appeal for the boy to enter the shinigami academy prematurely…

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Matsumoto enjoyed the feeling of the mild breeze that softly brushed against her face, as she jumped through the night, almost nostalgically searching for the same amazing reiatsu; she had been looking for about ten years earlier…

Even though it took a while, she had succeeded in convincing Yamamoto to let the boy attend the academy, when she stated that the boy's powers would become a potential threat, if left be… However to have a huge amount of uncontrolled reiatsu near the, in comparison, weak reiatsu of hundreds of shinigami apprentices, wasn't exactly ideal either… And that's where her mission came into the picture…

Matsumoto resided her orders in her mind… The new term was due to start in two weeks… If the boy agreed to go, she was supposed to teach him the basics of reiatsu control, during this time, so he wasn't completely unprepared, when the term began… A soft smile played on her lips… After so many years of dull, good-for-nothing work, she felt really excited about her mission, especially the part of the mission that concerned the boy…

After an hour or so, she finally felt… That by now almost familiar reiatsu… She followed the cool sensation that brushed gently against her skin until she stood in front of the door to a small, but fine and cosy cottage… She breathed in deeply couple of times and noticed how her breath could be seen as small puffs in the air… She could feel the presence of one more person inside the cottage… This one without spirit power… Matsumoto imagined how unhealthy it must be to live with a person who unconsciously leaked so much reiatsu while sleeping… At this rate she would have to wake him up… "Here goes…" she whispered before carefully opening the door…

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He could see a crescent moon… like a flash of light in the sky_…_

_I hear a voice…_

That sky felt so familiar… A part of his world… A part of him…

_An echoing voice…_

And yet… Something felt different this time… The moon was fading…

_Crushing… Engulfing… Falling into my hand…_

A light emitted… Shinning through the clouds… Brighter than anything he'd ever seen…

_Just like thunder…_

The light grew until it was everywhere… That feeling…

The wind picked up, and he widened his eyes at the sight before him…

The dragon stretched it wings, its head held high with pride and grace…

He wasn't scared… Somehow… The dragon was a part of this world… A part of him…

"_What the hell… Are you…?!"_

"_**Little boy!! You have…"**_

He shielded his face from the force of the wind… From the power the dragon radiated…

"_What are you saying?! I can't hear you…"_

"_**My name is…"**_

………………………………………………………………………………………………………....

The boy's eyes snapped open the second, she leant over him… She raised her hand in greeting and send him a smile… "Hey…"

The boy rolled over to get on his feet… "Why you… From before…"

She send him a kind smile… She didn't want to be too harsh on him… But she had to make sure he understood the situation… "Your reiatsu… Stop leaking it everywhere and get some sleep… Your grandmother looks pretty cold…"

The boy immediately turned his attention towards his grandmother… A misty frost hovered near the floor everywhere in the room, leaving the boy's grandmother almost covered… Matsumoto noticed how his turquoise eyes widened in horror, as his shivering grandmother's slightly gasping breaths made puffs in the air…

"…Kid… You should become a shinigami…"

"!Wha…"

But Matsumoto didn't give him a chance to finish… "Kids with power as strong as yours… Need to know how to bring that power under control… You know… If you stay like this… you'll end up killing that grandmother of yours with that power soon enough…"

She knew how harsh it must have sounded… The boy's eyes widened with shock and confusion… "What are you…"

She knelt down in front of him, and placed her hand on his chest… He felt silent, as she did so and they stayed like that for a moment, before she spoke again… "You hear a voice calling out, right?"

He didn't answer, but she knew he could… His eyes had widened slightly with recognition, when she had asked… "Once you properly discover that voice, you'll understand how to control your power… But that means becoming a shinigami…"

The desperate and lost look on his face tore her heart, and she felt herself frown sadly… "I will only say it once more kid…"

................................................................................................................................................................

Hitsugaya stared at his hands, feeling completely lost… He couldn't stay, if he was such a danger to her… But he felt extremely bad that he would have to leave her alone like that… He sighed, got up and walked into the living room… He knew what he had to do…

Granny was sitting in her usual spot… She looked up, when he entered… The second she looked at him, he knelt down and bowed his head low, before explaining the night's events…

He held his breath with anticipation, not really knowing, what kind of reaction he could expect… "Is that right… That's wonderful…"

He looked up to find a small, but understanding and caring smile on his grandmother's lips… "You've been holding everything in all this time… Thinking that you don't want to leave your old granny all alone… But you know… Just thinking of me and hurting yourself like that… I think for me as your grandmother, that's the hardest thing of all…"

It was extremely rare for him to not know, what to do, but he did was even rarer… He felt granny's hand gently placed on his head, as silent, cool tears, hidden by his white mane, ran down his cheeks… He cried…

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Matsumoto enjoyed the breeze that so gracefully played with her hair, as the orange glow of the setting sun, made her locks shine with a warm, golden colour… Once again, she glanced down the road, as she scouted for a wild, spiky, white mane among the trees… Of course there was the possibility, he declined, but something about the last look he'd sent her with those turquoise eyes, had made her pretty certain, he would come…

Even though she had counted on it, she couldn't hold back the urge to wave and send him a great, beaming smile, when she finally caught sight of him…

"I'm glad you decided to come along boy… I'm Matsumoto Rangiku… What's your name?"

"Hitsugaya Toshiro…"

She ruffled his hair, smiling, while enduring great complaints, as they made their way towards the sunset…

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A/N: Sorry… This was finished a little later than I had anticipated… The reason is very simple… Marks were coming up, so my teachers decided to drown me and my classmates in a tsunami of tests and homework… Ok… Enough of my whining XD… As always please review, I really appreciate it, when you do :D… Next time will probably be written the same way as chapter six, meaning a series of short stories describing Hitsugaya's training with Matsumoto… Hope you liked it…


	8. Rangiku's apprentice

A/N: Woooh! Chapter 8!!! Thanks for the reviews and the favourites :D! This chapter was a bit difficult, because I had to work with a couple of ideas that's one of the reasons it's delayed. I knew, what I wanted to write, I just couldn't find a good way to begin. That's why I finished a little one-shot I've been working on for some time first, so I had a little more time to think... Sadly a sudden surprise assault of homework completely ruined my plans, and I ended up later than ever… Sorry… Hope it turned out ok nevertheless XD… Enjoy!

* * *

Rangiku's apprentice

It was getting dark now. They had decided to camp in a small clearing not too far from the road. Hitsugaya gazed at the busty woman out of the corner of his eye. She was attending a little fire, she had managed to conjure. He sighed and turned to look at the forest-floor, fiddling with a few strands of grass, as he wondered about her behaviour. For some reason, she seemed extremely enthusiastic, when talking to him, which he certainly wasn't used to… Suddenly a cup was almost shoved in his face, and he looked up slightly startled.

"Here drink this, and be careful, it's very hot..."

Hitsugaya noticed, how a smile formed on Matsumoto's lips, when he accepted the drink, she was offering.

"Thanks…" He mumbled and blew softly on the surface of the tea to make it cool faster.

"Actually…" Matsumoto began, as she sat down beside him, her tone and expression now quite serious. "… I have been wondering since yesterday… How come that guy at the store spoke to you like that?" She asked, sending him a curious look.

Hitsugaya stared down into the tea, as if expecting to find the answer written on the bottom of his cup. He sighed and decided that he might as well tell her, what he thought. "Most of the people back home were really afraid of me. I never did anything to them, so I guess it's because I'm…" He trailed off and glanced sideways to the ground, focusing his attention on a certain spot to avoid meeting her eyes.

"…Different." she finished his sentence for him, making him look up a little surprised.

She took a sip from her cup and eyed him with a strange expression he couldn't determine, before continuing. "I know how it feels to be judged by appearance… Guess that means we have something in common Toshiro."

Hitsugaya felt a small smile appear on his lips.

"Yeah… I guess so Matsumoto."

They sat in silence and enjoyed the tea for a while, before Matsumoto spoke again. "I'm going to show them all..."

Her voice sounded darker, almost bitter. He gazed at her, a little surprised by the sudden change of tone. She was staring into empty space. It appeared she had said it more to herself, than to him…

Hitsugaya noticed how the moonlight was reflected in her determined eyes, and he could feel a soft, buzzing sensation on his skin, as if someone was blowing sand on it. He raised his arm and planted his hand on her shoulder, startling her out, of whatever thoughts she had been trapped in. Her face held a curious and slightly surprised expression, when she turned to look at him again.

"I'm sure you will… I'll show them too…"

She blinked a couple of times, before she without warning threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight bear-hug, suffocating him in her valley of gods, while nuzzling her face against his hair…

"Oh… You're so sweet Toshi!"

"MAFUMOFO!!!"

* * *

"So… Did you get that?" Matsumoto asked after explaining the basics of reiatsu-control, as thoroughly as she could. She tilted her head, sending Hitsugaya a questioning look, hoping she wouldn't have to explain it too many times…

To her surprise, he simply nodded… "I think so..."

Matsumoto stared at him, unable to suppress the widening of her eyes… _Is he serious?_ "Are you sure? I mean it's only natural if you don't… There's nothing to be ashamed of or anything, actually it would be weird if you…" But she decided not to finish that sentence, when she was met by a serious and very cold glare. "…Uhh… Never mind…"

She rose to her feet and raised her hand, before aiming on a tree about 10 meters from them. _If he understands the theory, there is no reason to dwell in it… _ "Hadou no sanjuuichi Shakkahou."

A red ball of compressed reiatsu shot from her palm and collided with the tree. She smiled at Hitsugaya's slightly gaping expression, as he stared wide-eyed at the smoking stump of wood, the spell had left behind.

"That was a kidou-spell. There are 99 levels of spells in total. The number refers to the level of the spell, making number 99 the strongest and most difficult, and number 1 the weakest and easiest… However in order to perform kidou correctly, you have to be able to control your reiatsu."

Matsumoto planted her hand on Hitsugaya's head and bent down to his eye-level, while smirking. "My job is to teach you, how to control just that… You'll learn how to use kidou at the academy."

He nodded once again, giving her his undivided attention and carefully watching her every move.

She straightened herself and summoned up her spirit power. A buzzing sensation went through her body and a pale bluish aura surrounded her. She let the spirit power flow freely for a moment, before she concentrated the energy in her palm and gathered it a couple of inches from her hand in the shape of a vibrating, bluish orb, the size of a soccer ball.

After a couple of minutes she let the orb dissolve. "Right… That's what it's supposed to look like… Now it's your turn."

She gazed down at the boy, and was met by an utterly serious expression. "Okay… So how should I start..?" He mumbled quietly.

"Well… First you draw a circle in your mind. You have to make it as dark and intense as possible… When you've done that, imagine that you throw yourself into that circle, so that it completely surrounds you… I can't guide you further than that, but you'll know what to do, once you finally get there…" She offered him a comforting and reassuring smile, before she padded him on the shoulder and went back to their current camp by the shore of a small lake.

* * *

Hitsugaya watched Matsumoto make her way back to the camp, before he fixed his gaze at his palm. _Draw a circle in my mind and let it enclose me…_He sighed and closed his eyes, struggling to block out the distant sound of Matsumoto's loud and terrible humming… _Damn she's noisy…Is she doing it on purpose...? _He shook his head with annoyance and concentrated even harder.

A huge, black orb appeared before his mind's eye.

He didn't hesitate, before launching himself into the blackness, letting it completely consume him.

* * *

"_**Boy…"**_

The darkness dispersed in a blast of white.

When he opened his eyes, he was once again faced by the world of icy glaciers.

_I hear a voice…_

_Far… Near… I hear it resounding…_

_Now I decide to search…_

…_To find it, and move onward…_

He stepped forward, the light fabric of the black kimono he wore dancing in the icy wind.

_Even if I die on this plain of ice._

* * *

"TOSHIRO...! OI TOSHIRO SNAP OUT OF IT!!!"

The glaciers disappeared, as he felt a hard jab on his chest, and the familiar, buzzing sensation ran through him, as if injected. He blinked, trying to focus his vision, but the only thing he managed to clearly make out, before a shady mist obscured his view and made him feel like falling, was a pair of worried, sky-blue eyes.

* * *

Matsumoto picked up the blanket she slept under during the nights, before she sat down by the lake and hummed a melody she'd picked up while out drinking. The moon was reflected on the lake's calm, dark surface. She sighed and clutched the blanket tighter, as memories of long lost joy began to haunt her. Gin had kissed her for the first time, while they had been sitting by a lake, on a similar, moonlit summer night.

She was completely lost in thought, when extremely heavy reiatsu suddenly seemed to press her towards the ground. Without warning, the air around her turned incredibly cold, making her choke on her breath. _What the hell?! _

Matsumoto's eyes widened, as she stared at the lake, where a thin, white layer of ice protruded from the shore and moved towards the centre, making soft melodic creaking noises. A white flash of lightning and the following roar of thunder made her turn her attention towards the sky, where heavy, dark clouds were assembling with unbelievable speed. _No way!!!_

She spun around, her hair whipping around her from the force of the wind. Hitsugaya was standing right where she had left him. He stared at the pulsating hovering orb above his hand. It was almost blinding in with the surroundings, because of the intense, white and bluish light that constantly radiated from the boy.

_This is totally out of control!! _"TOSHIRO!" Matsumoto hurried towards him, when he didn't reply, but she was knocked back by the force his wild reiatsu. _This is unreal… _

She drew in a sharp breath, when she got a glimpse of Hitsugaya's eyes. They were dull and absent, as if his mind was somewhere else entirely. "Shit! Unare Haineko!"

With the ash of her shikai release and her own reiatsu surrounding her, she was able to get close enough to touch him. "OI TOSHIRO SNAP OUT OF IT!!!" She jabbed his chest, and send a little burst of her reiatsu through him.

The orb and the cold aura disbanded immediately, and everything, even the wind and the clouds seemed to calm down. Hitsugaya blinked a couple of times, and Matsumoto managed to get eye contact for a second, before his eyes became misty and heavy lidded again.

"Wow!" She only just barely managed to grab him, before he slumped to the ground. Carefully she knelt down, while supporting his head with her arm. A soft sigh of relief escaped her mouth, when she noticed, how his breath made slow, regular puffs in the still cold air.

Matsumoto shook her head, as she took in her surroundings, a glittering layer of frost was covering the vegetation in the surrounding area, and half the surface of the lake, was still covered by ice. A shiver ran through her body, when something cold and wet managed to slide down her neck, and she gazed at the sky, where the clouds had gathered. A moment later, snow was falling calmly around her… She gaped at the boy sleeping peacefully in her arms… _Unbelievable…Just what the hell are you..?_

* * *

Hitsugaya observed and considered Matsumoto's every move, as she let her kendo stick dance in the air, before swinging it down upon him with great speed and force. He tightened his grip on the kendo stick he was holding, taking the appropriate stance and swiftly blocking her attack at the last possible moment. He had memorized all of the basic attacks, blocks and stands; she had displayed so far, and Matsumoto smiled, as she pulled back.

"Not bad… Not bad at all… But you're too predictable… You'll need to combine your movements, if you want to get anywhere. Now come at me with everything you've got!" She said, as she retook her stance and held the wooden sword out in front of her.

Hitsugaya dashed towards her, swinging the wooden sword in an arc above his head. She easily blocked the attack, taunting him with an amused smirk on her face, before countering with a fast swing of her own sword, soon followed up by a quick swipe, when he managed to block the first attack. He dodged it and launched himself forward, but couldn't get past her defence. She blocked every single attack, all the while smiling, as if she was just playing games with him.

He longed to wipe the smirk off her face, and show her that underestimating him, was not a good idea, but he didn't let himself get worked up over it. He had to focus. He pulled back a little and took a moment to consider, what to do. She had 5 great advantages. She was faster, stronger, way more experienced and she had a longer range, but above all she had taught him all the moves he knew, and nothing he did caught her off guard.

He avoided a long stab motion by turning slightly, her kendo stick only mere inches from grazing his shoulder, when it shot past him. _Too predictable huh? Well in that case I'll just have to improvise… _He quickly leapt into the air and planted his feet on her sword, forcing it towards the ground. Matsumoto's eyes widened with surprise, and he took full advantage of the short amount of time it granted him, effectively landing a blow on her shoulder.

Matsumoto offered him a wide grin and pulled back. "All right I think that's sparring enough for today... You're quite brilliant you know, and it seems to me, you had fun."

Hitsugaya looked away, panting slightly, hiding the tiny smile spreading on his lips. Even though he didn't want to admit it; he was actually looking forward to their next sparring match.

* * *

It was a quiet night. Not even the wind bothered to disturb the silence, as they sat on the hilltop, both lost in thought, both enjoying the silent company of the other. He had only known her for nine days, but he could tell that something was bothering her. She was always the one to do all the talking, so the fact that she had been quiet fro so long made him slightly worried.

He gazed at her through the corner of his eye. She was staring of into empty space, completely oblivious to the world around. One of her arms was wrapped around her knees. The other was tucking absentmindedly at the pink necktie she wore.

He took a deep breath, deciding that he might as well try being the first to talk. "…Do you always wear that?"

She jumped slightly when he broke the silence, and he noticed how the taunting smile she sent him didn't reach her eyes.

"Well what do you know… You can actually start a conversation, when you want to…"

He ignored her taunting and eyed her with a serious glare.

She sighed and turned away to avoid his gaze. "Someone special gave it to me once… I have worn it ever since.

A pained and sad expression crossed her face for the briefest of moments, but it didn't pass Hitsugaya by unnoticed. He cursed himself inwardly for making her sad. _Great! I finally talk to her to cheer her up a little, and instead I end up hurting her even more… Way to go! _He opened hid mouth to apologize, but she continued, before he could say anything.

"It's supposed to make me stand out… He liked that… Come to think of it, he liked my hair best, when it was short, maybe I should cut it once I get back…"

The last part was mumbled in an almost inaudible whisper, but Hitsugaya heard it clear enough. "That would be a pity…" He bit his tongue, when he realised, what he had blurted without thinking.

Matsumoto's eyes widened slightly, and with a questioning look on her face. "What…"

Hitsugaya sighed, judging from Matsumoto's anticipating features he would probably hurt her feelings even more, if he refused to answer. "…Well… I think it would be prettier, if you let it grow, but never mind that… You should just keep it the way you like it…"

A small smile spread on her lips, this time reaching all the way to her eyes. "Thanks… I think I would like it long too…"

He had seen it coming, but he didn't do anything to avoid the characteristic bear-hug that followed her words, nor did he struggle… If letting her hug him helped increase her mood a little, it was worth it.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" She stopped dead in her tracks, her hand resting on Haineko's hilt.

Hitsugaya nodded. "What was that..?"

"…That was the shriek of a hollow…"

"Oh…"

"You know, what they are..?"

He nodded again. "Jidanbo told me about them…"

"I see… Stay close to me." Hitsugaya did as he was told, and positioned himself right beside her. She sent him a sideways glance to check if he was okay, but he seemed to deal with the situation with surprising calmness.

Once she had confirmed he would be all right, she focused on tracking down the hollow's reiatsu, but for some reason, she couldn't pin point its location. _What the hell is going on, there shouldn't even be a hollow here, this close to Seireitei?! And If I can hear it, why can't I feel it..? Something is definitely off here…_

Her eyes widened, when she realised. She had grown so used to his reiatsu, and hadn't given it much thought since it went out of control. Even though Hitsugaya was now able to control his reiatsu enough to suppress and hide most of it effectively, it was still way above average, and apparently the amount he was unconsciously leaking all the time was enough to draw hollows and mask their reiatsu. 

She drew Haineko; preparing herself for the battle she knew would come.

Another howl and the crashing of trees alerted the hollow's arrival, however not just one, but 3 hollows emerged from the forest. Matsumoto bit her lip. The odds were not ideal. Even though she was from the tenth squad, she should be able to handle 3 hollows without too much trouble. The real problem was that she had to keep Hitsugaya out of harms way at the same time.

"Stay here!" Matsumoto ordered, before reaching the hollows with a step of shunpo. She dodged sideways, when the smallest of the hollows launched it self at her, and before it had time react, she moved forward while swinging Haineko in an upwards arc, successfully splitting the creature in half.

Immediately she spun around in midair and blocked the huge fist of the largest hollow. She jumped backwards, intending to finish of the beast with a ranged kidou-spell, when she noticed that the third hollow was targeting Hitsugaya with a quite impressive speed.

She made another step of shunpo, but realised she couldn't reach him in time. "MOVE!" Her voice boomed through the clearing, and Hitsugaya just barely managed to get out of the way in time, when the hollow tried to stab him with its lance-like arm. A second later the hollow disappeared in the air, when Haineko had been stabbed through the mask from behind.

Before she had any time to think, she felt a stab of pain in her right shoulder. The air was knocked out of her, as she was sent flying, before hitting the ground hard and skidding a few meters.

She struggled to get up, but her body was heavy and her vision blurry. She could feel the earth tremble with each step of the heavy monster, as it neared her. Apparently it wanted to deal with her first.

She had managed to position herself in a half sitting half laying pose, when the hollow reached her. It heaved all four of its fists above its head, ready to give her the final blow. Suddenly Hitsugaya was standing in front of her, facing the hollow.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?! GET OUT OGF THE WAY!!" She wanted to bellow a lot more at him, but the stance he took surprised her so much, she forgot, what to say. _No way!! Is he seriously going to..? But that's impossible…_

Hitsugaya held his right arm outstretched, the palm of his hand aimed for the hollow's mask. "Hadou no sanjuuichi Shakkahou."

Matsumoto was in a loss for words, when the unusually large red ball erupted from his hand and hit the charging hollow point-blank in the face. She couldn't really help herself, from gaping awkwardly at the sight. Usually that level of kidou could shatter a hollow's mask, but in this case the whole head was missing.

Once the hollow disappeared, Hitsugaya turned to face her. She quickly closed her mouth, hoping that he hadn't noticed her dumbfounded expression. "How..? I never taught you how to use kidou… How..?"

"Well you demonstrated it once… Remember?"

Matsumoto turned her gaze to the ground. _One demonstration?! _She shook her head a couple of times in disbelief.

* * *

"Itaaaaaaiii! Be careful it's really sore…"

"And you are really whiny…"

"That's mean…" Matsumoto pouted, as she let Hitsugaya patch up her shoulder. "…It wouldn't have happened if I didn't have to look out for you in the first place. I will probably have to watch your back for the rest of my life, if you don't stop being so rash…"

"You know… I could say the same thing about you."

* * *

She stared at the familiar entrance gate and complex beyond. It was kind of strange how something like a building could hold so many memories… Good and bad. She gazed at the young boy standing by her side, wearing his academy-uniform. His facial expression not giving even a single clue of how he was feeling.

She sighed heavily. _This is going to be harder than I thought…_ They had only spent two weeks together, but even so, she knew that she was really going to miss him.

"Well…" She began, a little hesitant. "…I guess it's time for goodbye…"

To her surprise he sent her that rare, tiny smile of his, when he turned to face her. "I'd rather say see you later…"

She chuckled softly, before adding: "Yeah who knows… Maybe you'll even end up as my subordinate one day."

"Nah… I think it would be more likely the other way around…" A taunting smirk crossed his lips, and he went through the gate, joining the hundreds of students in the great front yard.

Matsumoto stared after him until he disappeared, before she turned to leave, herself. _Me being your subordinate..? You know what kiddo? Actually… I wouldn't be surprised…_

* * *

A/N: Whew… That was a long one… The longest so far. Well I hope you liked it :D. Next time will be stuff from the academy XD!!! Please leave a review, it makes me so happy, when you do ^.^


	9. Child prodigy

A/N: The Rukongai arc is over, and the academy arc begins… Yay! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I have to watch my step with the plot in order to avoid messing up future chapters. I guess you could say I have had a small writer's block. I have enough plot, I just didn't know how to go on about it… ^^' By the way, I am planning to post a drawing from each chapter on deviant art, so if you want to see, go to my fan fiction profile and check out the link I have posted there… I have only submitted a little, but there's more to come… Okay sorry for the unusually long message and unusually late update… Enjoy! XD

* * *

Child prodigy

The classroom was extremely large with row upon row of wooden desks and benches rising gradually, almost like staircases, along three of the walls. Lots of students were already seated and Hitsugaya let his gaze travel around the room, lingering it for a brief moment on every face, taking in the appearance of his classmates. They were older, than he had expected, and even though, he knew he had been allowed in early, he hadn't counted on each and every one of the other first-years being in their mid-teens or older.

He noticed how some of them were already goggling at him. A girl with curly, brown hair whispered something to her friend while sending him confused and sceptical looks every now and then, as if his presence had to be some sort of mistake. He turned his gaze to the ground and let out a soft, invisible sigh. _Same thing all over again… _ _Just how different am I? _

He felt the eyes of his classmates on his back; as he headed for the corner of the row furthest away from the podium, unable to suppress the feeling that he didn't really belong in the room. He could hear the other students laughing, chatting, sharing expectations and worries, before reassuring and encouraging one another, but he wasn't part of it. Their voices were like echoes from icy glaciers in an arctic desert he would have to cross in order to reach them.

* * *

Hitsugaya walked across the great yard, happy to finally get away from the thick-aired and crowded corridors. His gaze was locked on the ground, his mind refusing to react to the pointing and snickering all around him. He found himself a shady spot of grass by the foot of a sakura-tree, where he gratefully breathed in the fresh air. It was awfully hot and sunny and Hitsugaya wasn't happy about it. It wasn't like hot weather affected him more than others, he just didn't enjoy it. What made him feel miserable was the complete irony of his current situation.

To cool the air around him would be as easy as breathing, but… He stared down at his hands, his thoughts wandering to his freezing grandma and Matsumoto's worried, slightly frostbitten face, when he had woken up in her arms for some reason he didn't quite remember. And as if that wasn't enough, the wound he'd had to patch up on Matsumoto's shoulder was caused by one of the hollows his reiatsu had drawn. He didn't dare take the risk of losing control of his powers… Someone was bound to get hurt. Which lead to his second problem...

He had been attending the academy for a little more than two weeks, while constantly suppressing his reiatsu so much; his classmates had come to believe that he didn't possess any at all. On top of that, he spoke as little as possible and he never demonstrated kidou. If he was asked to, he pretended he couldn't.

He fisted his hands and glared at them, as if they were responsible for all his troubles. Sparring wasn't much better. His sensei had taken a two-second glance at him, before stating that he was too young and fragile to battle his much older and larger classmates and insisted that he trained alone.

Hitsugaya frowned at the thought. He didn't really mind training by himself, but being described as too young and fragile was nothing short of humiliating. It was frustrating for him to pretend he was an utter fool, and his act had reached the point where his fellow students' disbelieving stares had evolved into mockery, amusement and ridiculing they didn't even bother to conceal from him.

_Speak of the devil… _Hitsugaya didn't even bother to look up, when he felt the usual group of tormentors approaching him. For some reason he didn't feel like conveniently moving to another spot to avoid confrontation, as he usually did.

"Oi midget!"

_Here we go…_

The one speaking was a rather tall, dark-haired boy called Shigeru. He had small eyes and a pointy face that made him resemble a rat. On top of that he descended from nobility and behaved like an arrogant prick, who thought nothing of others.

Hitsugaya didn't even look up, when the group scattered slightly and formed a half circle around him. Shigeru started speaking again.

"We were wondering if you are related to one of the captains from the 13 squads…"

This question was unexpected, the captains of the gotei 13 were supposed to be the elite of the elite, so why ask him such a question..? But Shigeru answered without Hitsugaya having to ask.

"…Because we heard that one of the captains has the same freaky hair-colour as you…"

Some of the others began snickering at the hair-comment, and Shigeru flashed them a cocky, gleeful grin, before he continued.

"…It would also be a good explanation as to why a talentless loser like you can attend a place like this… After all, it's easy to make up for lacking skill, if you have good connections."

The surrounding group burst out laughing. Hitsugaya clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, but didn't do anything else.

* * *

"_**Boy… Why don't you show them what you are capable of..?"**_

"_What?!"_

Hitsugaya's head snapped back up. Once again he was surrounded by the arctic world. His world…

He turned around, only to find himself staring into the glowing, ruby-red eyes of the great ice-dragon.

Powerful winds were radiating from the dragon, just like the last time they had met. This time something was a little different though.

Hitsugaya was still not afraid of the magnificent, blazing creature, but somehow he felt like pushing it away, there was a strange, heavy, ominous tension between them that certainly hadn't been there before.

"_You! …I…"_

He hesitated a moment and tried to speak again, but no words came out of his mouth.

The ice-dragon let out a cold, misty breath and eyed him with a serious expression.

"_**If you fear your own powers, you will never learn to control them."**_

"_But… I…"_

"_**You cannot keep me at bay like this forever boy…"**_

Hitsugaya looked up, slightly confused by the dragon's words.

"_Wha… What do you m__ean? ...Wait..?!"_

He felt his eyes widen, when it occurred to him.

"_You! You are my power aren't you..? You're my Zanpakutou__..?!"_

"_**So… You finally realised…"**_

Hitsugaya let out an indignant grunt at the dragon's slight implication that he was slow. He'd only just been taught about Zanpakutous a couple of days earlier… How was he supposed to have known?

"_**Accept the privilege of your powers and the responsibility that comes with them."**_

Hitsugaya stared down at his feet, unable to meet the dragon's intense and serious glare.

He felt torn between two evils.

On one side he would like nothing better, than to find out just how far he could go, to know his own limits.

On the other side he was terrified of the consequences it might have for himself and particularly the people around him.

_Am I ready..?_ To be honest he doubted it…

The dragon gave him a moment to think, before his low rumbling voice, which so resembled approaching thunder, again claimed Hitsugaya's attention.

"_**Boy… Have faith in me, and I will not fail you."**_

"_**Trust in me, and I will guide you."**_

"_**Wield me, and we shall finally be complete as one."**_

Hitsugaya looked up once again, noticing the pure honesty in the dragon's powerful gaze.

"_**Do you dare trust me… boy?"**_

Hitsugaya sighed and let out the first real smile he had worn since he had parted with Matsumoto.

"_I don't really have a choice, do I..? If I can't trust my own soul, then who can I trust?"_

The dragon let out another cold breath, seemingly pleased with that answer, and in the blink of an eye he spread his wings, took flight and disappeared in the sky above.

* * *

"Oi… Midget… It's really impolite to ignore people when they are talking to you. Someone should seriously teach you some manners!"

Hitsugaya blinked a couple of times, slightly confused from the sudden, unexpected trip to his inner world. Apparently his mind had only been absent for a very short amount of time. His eyes widened as a sudden thought hit him. _"Wait… What's your name?!" _He waited in silent, tense anticipation for a moment…

"_**All in it**__**s own time boy… For now, just keep that promise you made to her…" **_

"_Huh?... What are you talking about..?__" _After a short pause, Hitsugaya heard, what appeared to be an echo of his own voice. It repeated the same sentence over and over again: _I'll show them too, I'll show them too, I'll show them too…_

He closed his eyes, a small and confident smirk adorning his lips. _That's right…I promised Matsumoto I would show them too… So what if they think I'm a good for nothing shrimp..? I'll just have to prove them wrong!_ With his little smirk still in place, he stood up, straightened his back and looked directly into Shigeru's eyes, unconsciously imitating the intense and penetrating expression of his Zanpakutou.

The effect was immediate and stunning. Even though every person in the group was considerably taller than Hitsugaya they seemed to shrink under his cold glare. When he spoke, he was a little surprised by his own voice. It was ice-cold with a low, warning growl that made the students before him flinch. "I don't need to hear this from the likes of you."

Just to make sure they understood the message, he decided to end their little chat, by seemingly disappearing before their very eyes, using a step of shunpo.

He smiled from amusement when he less than a second later stood by the grand entrance of the main building, watching the faces the group made. Judging from their expressions he assumed, most of them probably didn't know something like shunpo even existed. He couldn't really blame them; the subject had not yet been presented in class after all. He himself had learned shunpo by watching Matsumoto do it when they had encountered the hollows. One of them had almost succeeded in stabbing him, because he had been too preoccupied with analysing the technique.

* * *

Hitsugaya sat down quietly at the usual spot near the window. He probed his elbow on the table and let his chin rest in his palm, as he flicked through the pages of a great, heavy leather-bound book he'd just pulled from a shelf. He spent most of his breaks in the library like this, finding books so he could study beyond his year's syllabus during the lessons.

The reason was very simple. Theoretical everyday-lessons bored him out of his mind. Everyone had to understand what was being taught, and thus the teachers would explain the same thing over and over again in different ways until everyone got it, no matter how long it took. And since he respected and accepted the fact that not everyone caught on equally fast, he preferred to just use the waste time to study by himself instead of whining about it.

He shook his head and tried to focus on the book before him, but two whispering girls at the table behind him just kept distracting his attention. He growled under his breath with annoyance, peoples' behaviour around him had gone upside down. The laughing and the insults had morphed into fear, awe and even envy, ever since he had decided to show what he was really capable of.

He had been moved to the advanced class after only a few days, and now two months later he had beaten several records and earned the title of child prodigy. He supposed he should be happy about it, it was as his Zanpakutou said: power and brilliance are privileges... But nevertheless those 'privileges' made him different and isolated, and he wondered, whether being a genius was a good thing, if it meant that he couldn't get even a single friend.

After enduring another five minutes of increasingly loud and hectic whispering that kept preventing him from gathering his thoughts, he decided to leave. The girls broke their conversation and stared nervously at him, when he snapped the book shut and they realised he'd heard them. He merely raised a single brow, eyeing them with a scowl of indifference that made them look down in embarrassment the moment they met his eyes.

The corridors were unusually deserted, and Hitsugaya quickly made his way towards the dorms to rid himself of the book, only to collide with a red-haired girl the moment he turned the corner. The girl let out a surprised yelp, as she was knocked backwards and landed hard on her butt in a rather ungraceful manner, the papers she had been carrying scattering on the floor around her.

"Itaaaiii... I'm sorry I didn't loo...!"

She trailed off the moment she realised who she had bumped into, her eyes widening a glint of nervousness and insecurity evident in them, as if she feared he might hurt her.

Noticing this, Hitsugaya hurried to reassure her that she really hadn't done anything wrong. "Don't worry about it; it's my own fault for not looking ahead properly."

He held out his hand, offering to help her up. She hesitated for a moment, eyeing him with an expression of confusion and surprise before she took his hand and let him pull her back up. The moment she stood, he started gathering her scattered documents and she was gaping slightly at him, when he handed them back to her.

"Sorry about that... I hope I didn't mess up your work too much." He turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you..." The girl seemed insecure and gazed sideways, as she bit her lip, but she didn't let go of his shoulder.

Hitsugaya didn't want to pressure her and waited patiently for her to continue with whatever she had so much trouble saying out loud. She blushed slightly, suddenly unnaturally interested in the floor, when she finally spoke. "You... You are a lot nicer than I thought you were."

"Uhh... I see. Thanks" He offered the girl a little, friendly smile, not knowing what else he could say.

"I'm Kagayama Mizuki... Fifth year, pleased to meet you."

"Hitsugaya Toshiro."

"So... Um where were you heading..?"

"I was just taking this to the dorms..." He held up the book he'd burrowed.

"Oh, so you weren't heading out to see the captain then..?"

She continued when he didn't answer. "A captain is here to inspect the sixth-years, so the lessons have been cancelled for the rest of the day. That's why it's so quiet in here..." she signalled the corridor "...Everyone has gone to the entrance yard to watch, I'm heading out there once I've handed in these documents to Arashi-sensei... Are you coming?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "No, I have something to take care of, and like you said, the captain is here to inspect the sixth-years, so it doesn't concern me anyway."

Kagayama nodded. "Alright... I guess I'll see you around then."

"Yeah... Djane."

* * *

After having left the book in the dormitory and at the same occasion grabbing his sparring sword, Hitsugaya set out for his usual training spot, an isolated clearing, hidden from view and located at the edge of the academy-grounds, where people rarely came.

Even though he was very curious, as to what a captain was really like, this was just too good an opportunity to be wasted. Usually he would have had to sneak out at night in order to meditate and connect with his Zanpakutou; just to decrease the possibility of someone accidentally walking in on him and getting hurt. Because unlike with short, everyday conversation, where he could speak with the ice-dragon via his thoughts, his reiatsu occasionally tended to leak more, whenever they spoke face to face in his inner world.

* * *

"So, what do you think Kyoraku-taichou?"

Kyoraku reached for the brim of his hat and gazed at the massive crowd of students behind Nanao. "I'd say they are an average lot... Some of them could probably become highly seated officers with the prober training, but I don't see any obvious captain material..."

Nanao pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose, the characteristic, stern look that she made, whenever she provided information, adorning her face. "As far as I am aware, Aizen-taichou has recruited three of this year's most promising students prematurely; they might have what it takes to be commanding officers, Aizen-taichou has a nag for spotting talent after all..."

Kyoraku sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "That's true..."

He trailed off when he noticed Nanao was staring to the ground, a serious frown on her face. "...Something wrong Nanao-chan?"

She looked up startled out of her thoughts. "Uh... It's nothing of importance Kyoraku-taichou.

He sent her a sceptical look, which made her sigh and gaze sideways before she finally answered. "Every year we come here, I hope to find someone with the potential to bring division 10 back on the right track."

She stopped and blushed slightly, when she noticed the knowing, sympathizing smile he wore. "I know it's foolish of me, but..."

Kyoraku held up a hand to silence her before she said anything else. "There's no reason to get embarrassed Nanao-chan. You just want to help out a close friend, and indeed, something as phenomenal and rare as a shinigami ready to be an officer fresh out of the academy would be a wonderful solution to the problem. But the fact remains that such shinigami like Ichimaru-taichou or Kaien statistically can't be expected more than once every few centuries, and considering we got the two of them one after another, it should take twice as long for the next to show right..?"

Nanao nodded and was about to say something else, when her eyes widened from surprise. Once again Kyoraku reached for the brim of his hat, a wide grin spreading on his face. _Now that is quite an interesting turn of events! _

The reiatsu he could feel was partially concealed and gave of a faint cool sensation on his skin, as if an arctic gust of wind passed him by. He looked back at Nanao, who quickly regained her composure, after having worn a slightly gaping expression, obviously hoping he hadn't noticed.

"Uhh... Did you feel that Kyoraku-taichou?!" she asked quickly, trying to cover up for her dumbstruck face when she noticed his goofy, knowing smirk.

"I certainly did, and now my lovely Nanao-chan I will leave things here in your capable hands, I have some investigating to do."

He could see how she was itching to force him into staying and finish up his work, but at the same time, he knew she understood his need to leave, and a moment later she nodded in agreement that this was the best way to handle the matter.

"Djane my lovely Nanao-chan," he sing-sang, while blowing her a kiss and disappearing with a step of shunpo, before she got a chance to complain.

* * *

The closer he got, the more curious he grew. By now the cold reiatsu made him feel like drawing in deep breaths of extremely cold air, as if it was trying to reach for the very core of his soul, and even though it was still raw, rough and wild, he had no doubts it was several levels above what he had ever encountered on his academy-inspections.

Before long, he reached a well-hidden clearing from which the reiatsu was coming. The view that met him would be forever edged in his memory. A glittering icy-blue and white frost covered the vegetation in a 20 meter radius. Fine, white snow covered the ground like an absurd, misplaced blanket, as a thick, frozen mist hovered several inches above the ground. And in the middle of the scene was, apart from the 11th squad vice-captain, the youngest shinigami he had ever seen, obviously having a face to face conversation with his Zanpakutou. He attempted to move a little closer, using the tree crowns as cover.

"You can stop sneaking around. I know you are there..."

Kyoraku froze in a ridiculous pose halfway through a step, impressed that the young boy had felt his presence. True he had never been meant for the secret mobile-corps, his clothes alone were too flashy... But just because he had been found out, it didn't mean he couldn't make a cool first impression, so he located a convenient branch, on which he sat down cross-legged, as he leant back against the tree trunk, one arm supporting the back of his head, the other pushing down his hat so his eyes stayed hidden.

"So... You noticed my presence... Well done little one!"

Kyoraku immediately knew, he must have said something wrong, because the boy jumped on his feet and send him a frighteningly cold and intense glare. "I am not little..."

Glad he had decided to let his eyes stay in the shadow of his hat, Kyoraku felt his eyes grow wide, surprised by the boy's tone and voice. It was nothing like the hysterical fits young children usually threw. Instead it was a surprisingly calm, low growl with a sense of foreboding, and Kyoraku couldn't help but think of a looming thunderstorm ready to break. But despite the fact that he was impressed by the boy's 'I will take no crap no matter who you are' attitude, as much was he amused that the boy's sleeves were too long due to his oversized uniform, as well as the fact that he appeared even shorter when standing. He therefore couldn't resist the urge to wave his hand in a dismissive way, when he said: "Hai hai, if you say so..."

"So... What's your name then?" he asked, now lifting his hat to gain eye contact. He noticed how the boy's turquoise eyes softened slightly, his glare degrading into a serious frown.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro," he said, after a moment's hesitation.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Toshiro-kun. Do you know who I am?"

"Judging from your appearance... 8th squad captain, Kyoraku Shunsui... The only captain who does not apply to the dress code."

Kyoraku felt the corners of his mouth twitch with amusement. Apparently the boy knew that he was a captain, and despite that he still had the nerve to make fun of him.

"You do realise that as a captain I could kill you right here and now, and you wouldn't even know, what happened right..?"

"I'm aware, but I know you would never do something like that. If you'd been the captain of squad 11, I would have acted differently."

"Oh, what would you have done then?"

"I would have convinced you that I would be so much more fun to fight, if you would let me grow up and reach my full potential." He shrugged, before crossing his arms.

Kyoraku blinked a couple of times before he burst into laughter. This time he couldn't help himself. He had expected to hear something along the lines of 'get the hell out a here' and even though they had only shared a few minutes of conversation, he concluded that this kid was neither predictable, nor stupid. "If he manages to find you, he is quite hard to shake off, so you're quite right, your way would probably work out better. You've really done your homework on us."

"It's not like I have anything better to do, the lecturing is really slow-paced and there's so much repetition about 80 % of each lesson is a complete waste of time," The boy complained, clearly annoyed.

"I see... you are in first year, correct?"

Hitsugaya nodded.

"Hmm... I'll see what I can do about that... But first, tell me, what were you doing out here?"

The piercing gaze the boy sent him, before he spoke, was considering and contemplating. "Why do you ask a question you already know the answer to..?"

Kyoraku grinned. _That kid is too damn perceptive for his own good. _He pushed himself off the branch and landed gracefully in the clearing below, the snow crunching softly under his feet. "You were having a chat with your Zanpakutou... Do you know its name?"

Hitsugaya shook his head slightly. "He doesn't think I'm ready yet."

"I see..." _So it's only a matter of time then..._ Not wanting the boy to realise just how interested and curious he was, he changed the subject.

"Why were you training out here all alone?"

For the first time during their whole conversation, he could sense insecurity in the boy. The icy facade that had been kept up the whole time slipped for a fraction of a second, but it was long enough for Kyoraku to notice the far-away, almost sad look in his eyes, and he hesitated longer than ever before answering, the cold and indifferent attitude back in place. "People around me tend to get hurt, when I use my reiatsu."

Kyoraku eyed the young shinigami with a sympathetic look. _He's _obviously _trying to hide it, but_ _being so young and having the responsibility of such power must be hard for him... And lonely as well, which is sad really... The best way to lessen a burden is to share it with someone else after all. Oh well... If he is so afraid to harm others that just proves that there is a heart somewhere in there beneath all the ice._

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hmm... Must be really boring training all by yourself all the time..." He drawled, before an idea suddenly hit him and he let a huge, goofy grin spread on his face.

"Tell you what; let's have a little sparring match, just for fun hmm??" So far he had got the impression that the boy was quite a character, and he couldn't help being curious, as to what he might be capable of. And what better way to find out just that, than a little, innocent sparring match.

* * *

Hitsugaya blinked rapidly, completely taken aback by the suggestion. He remained motionless for a moment, hoping to confirm, whether he had heard correctly.

"Common, there's no reason to be scared, I'll go easy on you honestly." The captain said, sending him a very wide and way too goofy smile, as he drew a sword from inside his flashy haori.

Hitsugaya send the man another icy glare. "I'm not scared!" It was the truth, he wasn't scared at all. He just found the prospect of a captain wanting to spar with him absurd. On the contrary, he had a hard time taking the captain before him seriously. He was just so laid back and he kept up that annoying, stupid grin. But even if the captain before him seemed to be kind of dumb at first sight, Hitsugaya had long ago concluded it was an act. Throughout their whole conversation, he'd had the feeling that every word, every expression and every motion he'd made had been carefully contemplated and analysed by the friendly, grey eyes he was glaring at that very moment. Nope he had no doubts that the man before him was a lot smarter than he looked, and if there was something Hitsugaya had learned in his short time as shinigami, it was that appearance had absolutely nothing to do with skill. He was not going to let his guard down! It probably wouldn't make a difference in the match's outcome though...

He picked up his sparring sword and took up a basic, defensive stance. The captain smirked and did the same, apparently waiting for him to attack. Hitsugaya noticed that Kyoraku held his sword in his left hand. Left-handed swordsmanship was quite different from right-handed in several ways, he'd have to take that into consideration, whenever he planned his next move, and then just adapt the best he could. He took in a deep breath. "Here I come." And without hesitation, he charged full speed.

Hitsugaya's eyes widened. He'd barely been able to see the movement. One second Kyoraku was directly in front of him the next he was behind him. Before he could even turn around, he felt a finger jab the back of his head. "Yare yare... Why so rash Toshiro-kun?"

Using his own speed against him, Kyoraku pushed with just enough force, he lost balance and went for the ground, face first. _Hell no! I won't kiss the dirt that easily!_ He stretched out his free hand, letting it connect with the ground, before twisting his body and aiming a kick for the captain's jaw. Kyoraku merely took a step back, completely avoiding it, but leaving his right side open. Hitsugaya immediately grasped this opportunity and swiftly spun around in midair, only to hear the melodic sound of metal clashing against metal. Hitsugaya jumped back putting some distance between them. Kyoraku was now holding his Zanpakutou in his right hand. He wasn't really surprised. He knew that the 8th squad captain was one out of two wielders of two-bladed Zanpakutou... It was only natural that he could use both hands.

"I'll compliment your agility, very impressive, but I'm afraid you'll need more than that, if you want to get anywhere." Hitsugaya was surprised by the captain's change of attitude. His expression was friendly and he smiled, but his gaze was utterly serious. Kyoraku raised his sword slightly and shifted his weight. He was going to attack this time.

"Prepare yourself."

The sound of the captain's blade singing in the air and a white blur of colour warned Hitsugaya about the incoming attack to his left in the last possible moment and Hitsugaya instinctively blocked, only to be knocked down by the sheer force of the blow. He rolled on his shoulder when he hit the ground, and despite the snow managed to put some distance between them before rolling into a kneeling position.

"Your reflexes aren't bad either," Kyoraku stated while wearing a contemplating expression on his face.

Hitsugaya panted slightly, he knew that the captain's were good, but he had never thought they would be that tough. He remembered the time he had sparred with Matsumoto. She had told him to be less predictable, but this time it was not that simple. This fight was on a whole different level, improvising and doing some fancy moves was not going to work.

He got back on to his feet, annoyed that his soaked uniform was sticking to his body. _The snow is melting..._ He let out a small sigh, at least the long sleeves wouldn't get in the way now... He sent the captain a penetrating glare and wondered just how he could fight properly without the pink haori and the big hat restricting his movement in some way. _Wait that's it! _Now that he thought about it, instead of spinning around, Kyoraku had preferred to switch his sword from his left hand to his right in order to block the attack he had made right after his kick. It made perfect sense, if Kyoraku spun around, the cloak would follow the movement and obscure his view.

A little smirk played at Hitsugaya's lips, and he was amused to see how Kyoraku's eyes narrowed in a thoughtful way when he noticed. Because he was so short, the haori should theoretically be able to keep him out of sight, and if he refroze the water from the melting snow beneath Kyoraku, he would seriously decrease the captain's footing. If he combined these factors and used them to his advantage, then perhaps, just perhaps, it might grant him the opening he needed.

He held his sword out in front of him and raised his spiritual pressure, earning a nod of acknowledgement from Kyoraku. He could feel how the thawing snow beneath him began to freeze, and prepared himself for shunpo. _Here goes..! _The swishing sound of his own flashstep accompanied him, as he disappeared in a blur, only to reappear in the air behind the captain. Hitsugaya confirmed he'd been right when he suspected that the big, fancy clothes made it harder to view certain angles, as Kyoraku's block was delayed compared to the previous times. He shunpoed before their swords clashed, and kept himself low when he appeared just behind the captain. Kyoraku whirled around, and slipped slightly. Time seemed to have stopped moving and Hitsugaya managed to get a glimpse of Kyoraku's surprised expression, when he at first couldn't locate him, before realising just how close he was. _This is it! _He wouldn't get another chance, the same trick never worked twice, so he lashed forward, swinging his sword in an upwards arc.

Time was back to normal and he felt his sword connect with something that certainly wasn't metal, before something his eye didn't catch struck him hard in the stomach and he was thrown to the ground.

* * *

Kyoraku panted slightly, more from utter amazement than from fatigue. He couldn't believe what had just happened... He looked at Hitsugaya, who sat in the snow grinning, but at the same time gasping and choking, due to the hard stomach-impact. He'd used Kyoraku's own clothes and the environment itself to his advantage. Apparently the boy was not just a brilliant fighter, but a good strategist as well. Kyoraku took off his hat and gazed at the slice... If he hadn't used the broad side of his Zanpakutou to strike the boy down, his head could very well have been split in two.

"Yare yare, you killed my hat..." He said pouting.

"Uh... S-sorry about that," Hitsugaya gasped groggily, holding tightly around his tummy, as he tried to catch his breath.

Immediately Kyoraku put his hat back on and waved his hand dismissively, a huge grin on his face. "Don't worry about it; I'll just get myself a new one."

He was about to go lend the boy a hand to get back up, when he felt a hard whack on the back of his head. He turned around slowly, perfectly aware of the scary sight he was about to behold.

Kyoraku had underestimated the situation. What stood before him was not scary, it was terrifying... "KYORAKU TAICHOU! JUST WHAT WERE YOU THINKING DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO A LITTLE KID?!"

Kyoraku flinched under the hard glare his vice-captain sent him. "Uhh... I-I can explain sweet Nanao-chan."

He looked at the boy, hoping for some support, but Hitsugaya didn't even attempt to stand up. Another whack... This time across his nose. "Ow Nanao-chan... That hurt," he pouted.

"Oh stop whining, I'm surprised that boy hasn't vomited from that hit and you dare to complain about your nose!" She said in a stern, intimidating tone, as she grabbed hold of his collar.

"Oi... I-it's okay, I... K-kind of asked for it." Kyoraku sent the boy a thankful look, and went to help him up, the moment Nanao let go of him.

"Toshiro-kun... This is my lovely vice-captain Ise Nanao." He said, gesturing the still fuming Nanao.

Nanao quickly regained her composure and gave the boy a proper greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you... Uhh..."

"Hitsugaya Toshiro."

"...Hitsugaya-kun." She finished, adding a little bow before she continued. "Considering the condition my captain has put you in, I think it would be best, if we accompany you back to the academy."

Seemingly able to breathe properly again, Hitsugaya replied, "It's alright, I can handle myself."

Nanao sent both of them a stern glare, pushing her glasses to the bridge of her nose. "I insist."

"Uhh... Right..." The boy answered sweatdropping.

Kyoraku hid an amused smile beneath the brim of his hat. Apparently the boy had already realised that Nanao was not a person you discussed with.

* * *

They had reached the grand academy-entrance before long, and while Nanao left with immediately with a respectful nod, Kyoraku stayed behind to give a proper farewell before they parted.

"Thanks for the match and for taking me home... I guess we will meet again someday."

Kyoraku planted his hand on the boy's head and ruffled the snowy, white hair. "Oh, I believe we'll meet again far sooner than you think," he said winking, before disappearing in a pink blur of shunpo.

* * *

"Enter 8th squad Captain Kyoraku Shunsui."

Kyoraku went through the enormous squad-one doors, leading to the captains' meeting room, Nanao following close behind him. He bowed before the captain commander, and waited for permission to talk.

"Shunsui, you have requested this meeting, claiming you want to talk about your visit to the academy earlier today verbally, rather than in a written report?"

"That's correct."

"I take it you found something of interest among the sixth-years?"

Kyoraku pulled at the brim of his hat and sighed. "I'm afraid not Yama-jii... They were an average lot."

The old man opened a single, narrowed eye, waiting for him to explain, why Kyoraku was taking his time, if there was nothing unusual to report.

"However..." Kyoraku continued. "...There's another child prodigy among the first-years."

"I see..." Even though the old man didn't show it, Kyoraku knew he had captured his interest. "Was that all?"

Kyoraku smiled and looked up to meet the eyes of his old sensei. "No... I have a request."

The old man nodded for him to continue. "...I would like to have said child prodigy advance to sixth year advanced class."

Yamamoto opened both eyes at this. "You do realise that however skilful he may be, he would miss out on 5 years worth of study, should he be allowed to do so?"

Kyoraku nodded and sent the captain commander a wide grin. "Nothing to worry about... I got the impression, he is so bored from the teaching he's studied way ahead of his year on his own."

Behind him Nanao cleared her throat quietly. Both he and Yamamoto turned their attention to her. "Excuse me Yamamoto soutaichou, but may I state a point?" She asked, bowing her head.

"You may."

"Thank you sir. The boy in question can't possibly be much older that Kusajishi fukutaichou. I'll admit the boy's reiatsu holds more potential, than I have ever seen for someone so young, but there's no way he can compete with the sixth-years, to let him advance that far would just be cruel. He is just a little boy." She said a little indignantly.

"How kind of you to be concerned on the boy's behalf Nanao-chan... I see you only watched the very last moment of our little sparring match. If you had arrived no more than a few seconds earlier, you would have witnessed that 'little' boy do this to my hat in a fair match." Kyoraku took of the severed hat and held it up for Nanao and the captain commander to see.

Kyoraku enjoyed the dramatic effect his hat seemed to have on Nanao, who's midnight blue eyes widened, her expression a mixture of amazement and disbelief, clearly contemplating whether this was true or not.

"Very well then, even without this last piece of information, for you to recommend someone with such enthusiasm, there must be some truth to it. I will trust in your judgement Shunsui and grant your request."

Kyoraku smiled and bowed. "Arigatou Yama-jii."

* * *

Hitsugaya sat by his desk, staring absentmindedly out the window, his elbow probed on the table and his face resting in his palm. Now he understood, what Kyoraku had meant the day before when he'd said he'd see what he could do about Hitsugaya's boredom-problem, as well as them meeting again much sooner than he expected.

Less than an hour earlier, Hitsugaya had been called to the principal's office only to meet up with captain Kyoraku, who already treated him with a familiarity, as if they were old pals. Ruffling his hair and telling him to do his best to live up to his expectations... And then puff... He was a sixth-year student.

Hitsugaya was so lost in thought, he didn't notice one of his classmates approach him, and he was slightly startled, when said classmate suddenly spoke to him. "Are you the Hitsugaya Toshiro, the young genius everyone's talking about?"

The young man sat down on Hitsugaya's desk, smiling in a friendly way, as he held out his hand for a handshake.

"Who're you?"

* * *

A/N: And that's it for this time. ^^ Damn that was long, but then... It took a long time too ^^' And I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean for it to drag out for so long, but all kinds stuff just kept getting in the way, and you wouldn't even believe me if I explained... So I'm going to skip that. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter XD I suppose all of you know the scene at the very end... If not, watch the second bleach movie Diamond Dust Rebellion, or you are going to get spoiled over the next couple of chapters... :D Ok now you are warned :D Next time... More stuff from the academy... And just how did Hitsugaya obtain his shikai anyway O.o?? Don't forget to review, I really appreciate them XD


	10. Soten ni zase

A/N: Finally! Chapters with two digits! ^^ Ok… Here's chapter 10 XD Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really means a lot to me X3

Just to make sure everyone understands, though I think you do, since no one has asked any questions so far, I'll explain how conversations with Zanpakutou, inner world action, thoughts and so on works…

"_**Zanpakutou speaking"**_.__

"_Shinigami speaking to Zanpakutou"_.

_Shinigami thinking_.

All kinds of inner world actions are written in centered text.

I hope all of you understood that… Well here goes… Please enjoy!

* * *

Soten ni zase

"_It's beautiful… Isn't it..?"_

"_**Yes… Winter is approaching."**_

Hitsugaya sat by the mountain edge, admiring the view he had of how the green valley deep below united with the white and grey sky far in the distance. He stretched out a hand, allowing a couple of tiny snowflakes to land on it, taking his time to make out their unique shapes, before he let them melt on his palm.

A powerful, chilly wind moved up the mountainside and he enjoyed how it ruffled his spiky, white hair and caressed his face, as the countless snowflakes danced wildly in the air, riding the wind, while the distant sound of thunder warned of the upcoming storm. He loved weather like this… He always felt like stretching out his arms, as if they were wings and soar through the sky.

A small, amused smile spread on his lips as he remembered how his grandma had to comfort Hinamori during bad thunderstorms when they were younger, and at the same time try to prevent him from climbing the roof to have a better view. _Poor Granny… She really had her hands full…_

"Toshiro!"

"Kusaka…" Hitsugaya greeted, as his friend sat down beside him.

Kusaka was silent for a moment, as he followed Hitsugaya's gaze, before he smiled and laughed softly. "You know… I came here to ask you why you're sitting here all by yourself instead of with the rest of us, but seeing this I can totally understand. What a view!"

Hitsugaya nodded. Glad that Kusaka understood that his withdrawal had nothing to do with his new classmates, somehow Kusaka always seemed to understand his way of thinking.

Hitsugaya had been kind of startled when Kusaka had introduced himself in such a straight forward manner a month earlier, and at first he'd found it strange that Kusaka had continued to seek his attention, but stopped thinking about it, once he realized that Kusaka was very easy to get along with, and that he didn't really mind having some company.

Kusaka was always friendly, kind and obliging and he worked well together with most. Moreover, like Toshiro he held a certain determination and seriousness whenever he did something, which made them a good team.

To his surprise Toshiro found that besides being good comrades, they also had a lot in common, a deep passion for the sky one example amongst many, and even though he wasn't a social type of person, who always got along with others easily, he had come to trust and regard Kusaka as a good friend the same way he did Matsumoto and Hinamori.

Hitsugaya's train of thoughts was broken, as Kusaka spoke again. "Aren't you cold? You are sitting in a draught zone..." he stated, sending Hitsugaya a curious look, as he hugged his knees to shield himself from the wind.

"Not really…"

Kusaka raised his eyebrows in a questioning fashion, silently requesting him to explain further, so Hitsugaya continued: "…My Zanpakutou is an ice-type… Cold doesn't really bother me."

"I see…" Kusaka's brows narrowed slightly, and he let out an almost inaudible sigh, as he looked down.

Hitsugaya was just about to ask, if he was alright when Kusaka continued. "…I know it's awful of me, but sometimes, I can't help but envy you Toshiro... I have no clue what type of Zanpakutou I have. I haven't even entered my inner world yet for crying out loud…"

Kusaka laughed, as if trying to brush it off, as something of no serious importance, but there wasn't even a trace of amusement in his laugh, and it lacked its usual warmth. Hitsugaya kept silent, but his expression made it clear that this was no joking matter, and as intended, Kusaka immediately realized that Hitsugaya wasn't going to fall for his act and drop the subject before he explained what was nagging him properly.

Kusaka sighed, his gaze still focused on the ground. "Sometimes I wonder if my Zanpakutou is one of those too weak to even have a name."

After a moment he looked back up, and Hitsugaya could tell that it really bothered him. Kusaka always worked incredibly hard, and poured all his spirit into whatever he did. He was always enthusiastic and serious about his training, so to see him so depressed made Hitsugaya uneasy.

"_**You are his friend. Cheer him up."**_

"_Yeah but… What am I supposed to say? The only person who ever consulted me with a personal problem is Hinamori, and her and Kusaka's problems aren't exactly comparable…"_

"… _**Are you referring to the 'Shiro-chan do you think I'm flat?' problem?"**_

"Toshiro… Why are you staring at me..? While… Blushing??"

"…_**Awkward…"**_

"_I hate you…"_

"Uhh well… Judging from your reiatsu, I would say it's a matter of time. Most shinigami obtain their shikai long after they enter the squads, I'm sure you'll meet your Zanpakutou soon enough." He said sending Kusaka a small, but reassuring smile, hoping it would help him cheer up a little and at the same time cover up his embarrassment.

A grin spread on Kusaka's face, his usual friendly and determined expression returned. "Thanks Toshiro."

"_**That wasn't too hard, was it..?"**_

"_Shut up!"_

* * *

"...Oi! Toshiro! I've got something to show you!"

"Kusaka keep it down… This is a library."

"Oh sorry… What are you reading..?"

"I'm looking up some powerful kidou barriers…"

"Have you found some good ones?"

"Yeah… This kyomon seems useful."

"Well… Can you read up on it later? There's something I want to show you."

"Does it have to be right now?"

"Please…"

"All right all right I'll come."

"Good… Go get your sparring sword and we're off."

* * *

"Kusaka… Where are we heading?" Hitsugaya asked, hiding his growing curiosity behind a serious frown as they moved up the mountainside.

"You'll see soon enough…" Kusaka replied, flashing him a teasing grin. "We're almost there."

After continuing a short while, they reached a grand cave entrance. Hitsugaya raised a single eyebrow and crossed his arms, looking first at the cave, then at Kusaka. "Did you drag me all the way out here, to show me a cave..?"

His skeptical pose and disbelieving tone made Kusaka laugh. "Yes I did drag you all the way out here to show you a cave," he snickered, before continuing in a more serious tone "…I use it for training, and I figured since our fighting styles match each other and we make a good team, we might as well practice together. What do you think?"

Hitsugaya considered the suggestion for a moment. It wasn't a bad idea, and he found it rather appealing. "Sure, why not…" He shrugged, and followed Kusaka inside.

The cave was huge, but the entrance provided a decent amount of light. The air was cool and humid, and the rough, rocky walls were wet, due to the moisture of a small spring further inside. Hitsugaya took a moment to stroll around and take in the surroundings. He let his palm brush the surface of the cave-sides. They were hard and sharp. He made a mental note, to remember to keep a certain distance to them whenever he trained. He then turned his attention to the ground and rubbed the cave-floor with his foot. Like the walls, it was rough, and thus not slippery despite the fact that it was just as wet as everything else in the cave.

"Already analyzing the environment I see… Does it really make such a huge difference?"

Hitsugaya chuckled softly, thinking back to his encounter with Kyoraku. "You would be surprised."

"So… What's your conclusion then?"

Hitsugaya let his gaze travel around the cavity one last time before answering. "It's not optimal conditions for sparring due to the sharp walls, but then, it's not like we can choose the most convenient fighting spots in real battles, so we might as well get used to minding our surroundings now."

Kusaka nodded and unsheathed his sparring sword, taking up a stance. "ready..?"

"Hai…" Hitsugaya answered, before he mirrored Kusaka's movements.

Seconds later, echoes of clashing metal filled the dim lit cave, as they exchanged blows. Kusaka was very skilled in swordsmanship, and Hitsugaya found himself happy and amused to have some considerable competition.

* * *

Hitsugaya held out his hand and pulled Kusaka to his feet, before he began walking towards the cave entrance.

"Wow… We must have been sparring for hours," Kusaka exclaimed when the clear, dark blue night sky was displayed above them as they exited.

The moon was glowing, white and full and bathed them and the whole mountainside in a silvery, white light. Hitsugaya sat down just outside the cave to admire the view. Kusaka sat down beside him. "Phew… I didn't win even once… Amazing, you really are a genius Toshiro."

"It doesn't matter."

"But next time, I'm going to beat you…" Kusaka turned his gaze towards the moon, his expression serious and determined, reminding Hitsugaya of Matsumoto on the first night of their little education journey. "…I'm going to serve and protect Soul Society and obtain honor and glory… And then one day, I'll become a respected captain, whom everyone can look up to, a captain who can pass down in history as one of the best and most loved of them all… That's why I became a shinigami in the first place, and that's why I won't keep losing to you."

Kusaka turned to look at Hitsugaya, a friendlier and less challenging expression on his face. "What about you Toshiro? What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna…" He felt his eyes widen, as he trailed off.

He had become a shinigami to protect his family and the people around him from his own power. That much he was certain of. But what he'd be using those powers for, once he graduated had actually never crossed his mind. Sure he'd expected he would end up in some squad, but he'd never really considered aiming for a specific purpose or position.

Kusaka's expression quickly changed to one of concern. "Oi… Are you… All right?"

Hitsugaya didn't answer, but stared completely wide-eyed into empty space, for another few seconds, before he spoke again. "…Actually… I have no idea what I want to do…" He looked at Kusaka, still wide-eyed, and slightly surprised as well. It was very unlike him to not think something through, especially if it was important.

Kusaka's expression was a mixture of surprise and utter disbelief. "…You have no idea… Honestly?"

Hitsugaya nodded slowly.

* * *

Kusaka panted slightly, straining himself a little to keep up with the high speed of his teammate, as they jumped from roof to roof. Without warning Hitsugaya suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Immediately Kusaka grabbed the hilt of his sword. "What is it? Hollow?"

Hitsugaya shook his head, and held out his hand. A moment passed, and Kusaka was starting to wonder; just what Hitsugaya was doing standing with an outstretched arm and pointing towards nothing at all, when a delicate, black butterfly fluttered elegantly through the air, before gracefully landing on his outstretched finger. Hitsugaya watched it passively for a moment, before the creature took flight once more.

"What's the message? Has something happened?" Kusaka asked his tone serious.

Hitsugaya turned around to face him. "No… It's just our turn to have a break," he said, before he sat down and pulled out his brought lunch.

Kusaka let go of his sword and let the usual relaxed grin return to his face. "Oh… Good I was getting hungry," he said, relieved that it hadn't been anything serious. In sixth year where the practical exercises bore an actual risk, there were statistically between one and five casualties each year.

He sat down next to Toshiro and brought out his own lunch. Their class was on a 24-hour soulburial exercise in the world of the living, and since the teams had to take breaks and eat in turn, the two of them hadn't had anything for almost nine hours.

"I wonder why they find it so important that we take our breaks in turn when we really don't experience much..? I mean just look at today… We haven't encountered even a single hollow. Basically all we've achieved so far is me freezing my butt off and performing konso on that fat guy…" he complained.

"Don't speak ill of the dead," Hitsugaya mumbled before taking another bite of his rice bun.

"Yeah… I guess you're right, I mean we can't really expect all that much action when our entire class and a few supervisors are on the lookout," Kusaka laughed, before changing the subject. "We must have been some of the last in line, for them to contact us this late, the sun is already setting."

Hitsugaya mumbled some indistinguishable reply before he continued eating. Kusaka smiled and shook his head, giving up trying to start a conversation, as he realized that his friend was way too preoccupied with his food to communicate properly.

Instead he closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the last, golden sunrays on his face. They were nearing the end of December, and he was shivering slightly from the cold, now that he had stopped moving. His face and fingers were so cold, it felt, as if they were continually stabbed by small needles due to the dry, frosty air. He glanced sideways to see if Toshiro's hands and face were suffering in the same way, but as expected, he was not the least bit affected; his cheeks weren't even red…

Kusaka was just about to take a bite when a loud shrieking sound reached his ears, and he looked up. Toshiro was already standing, his hand resting firmly on the hilt of his sword and his reiatsu slightly raised.

Kusaka quickly got to his feet. "Do you think we're allowed to interfere, even though we're supposed to be taking our break?"

"We don't have a choice; we're the only team near it…"

Kusaka searched the surrounding area for traces of their classmates' reiatsu, confirming that they were indeed the only team near the hollow.

Suddenly Hitsugaya's eyes widened and mere seconds later, Kusaka knew why. "It's chasing an ordinary soul…" He exclaimed.

"Yes… We better hurry!" and with that Hitsugaya disappeared in a blue and white blur, as he made a long distance flashstep.

* * *

The boy couldn't be more than five years old, as he ran for his life, crying for his mother, his father, for anyone really… to help him escape the beast. It was bound to happen… Small kids, with short, still slightly wobbly legs they had yet to master completely, were not meant to run from large, savage, soul-eating monsters. Kusaka saw it, as if it happened in slow-motion when the boy stumbled and hit the ground face first, the hollow towering above him a moment later. It was a matter of seconds.

"Shit!"

Kusaka didn't let the boy out of his sight for a second, and just barely managed to make out a bluish white blur reach the child the very moment the hollow's two huge, spiked fists shattered the asphalt, creating a cloud of dust that prevented him from seeing what was happening on the ground.

"T-Toshiro!" The words got caught in his throat. He tried desperately to keep his cool, but no answer came, and he started to fear, what he might see once the dust cloud disappeared.

He could feel cold sweat forming on his forehead, and his breathing was going out of control. He shook his head and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, he couldn't afford to panic. He had to take care of the hollow. He took a few slow breaths and was just about to conjure a kidou-spell, when the hollow suddenly cried out in agony, split in half and dissolved before his very eyes.

And there was Toshiro, appearing out of nowhere, untouched and unaffected, sheathing his sword while wearing that serious, bored expression that was so characteristic for him. Kusaka sighed from relief, not sure whether he should just be happy that Hitsugaya was perfectly fine, or angry that he'd been scared as hell. He decided to just pretend that he hadn't been worried at all, and was just about to join his friend when he heard the sound of a child crying.

_Now that is something you don't see every day… _Kusaka had to use his hand to muffle his laughter, when the rescued five-year-old suddenly came out of the dust cloud, threw himself at Toshiro, and clung to him for dear life. Toshiro was only a mere head taller than the little boy, and had to take a few steps backwards in order to avoid falling. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly gaping, obviously confused and surprised by the boy's sudden assault.

Kusaka decided not to interrupt them, it had serious potential of becoming future teasing material, and he was curious to see how Hitsugaya would handle the situation. He had a couple of ideas, of what to expect, but what Hitsugaya did was not amongst them, and effectively wiped away Kusaka's urge to make fun of it. Carefully, Hitsugaya wrapped his arms around the child, holding him in a gentle embrace, before speaking in a voice Kusaka had never heard him use before. It was soft and comforting, very unlike the usual, bored growl.

"Easy… It's okay… We're here… You're safe." Hitsugaya continued speaking, but Kusaka couldn't hear him clearly enough to make out what he was saying. After a moment though, the boy's crying turned into mere sniffs. He pressed himself harder against Hitsugaya's chest one last time, before letting go.

"…Arigatou Onii-chan…" The boy said, as he used his hands to wipe the tears out of his eyes.

"You're welcome… Are you ready..?"

The boy stopped wiping his eyes and nodded.

"Good." And with that Hitsugaya drew his sword and performed the konso.

He didn't turn around, but kept watching the black butterfly, when Kusaka landed silently behind him. Hitsugaya waited for the butterfly to completely disappear from view, before he spoke. "I figured it out…"

"Huh?"

"What I want to do…"

"…You… Did..?"

"I want to help lost souls reach Soul Society."

"What that's it?!"

"Yes."

"You're the youngest, and probably the most brilliant student, in the academy's history. You don't even have to worry about getting a position in the squads once we graduate. Just about everyone in our year are certain you'll be offered a seat immediately, and you'll more than likely be offered the position of lieutenant, or even captain sooner or later… And that's what you can come up with? That's all you want?"

Kusaka couldn't help, but feel slightly annoyed and frustrated. Toshiro had talent and reiatsu he'd happily sacrifice his right arm to obtain. He would have used such gifts to protect Soul Society as a captain, or maybe even as the captain-commander, while Toshiro apparently wanted to waste them on something as trivial as soulburials… Where was the justice in that?! Kusaka was just about to tell Hitsugaya his opinion, but Toshiro beat him to it and spoke first, and something about his tone, another one of those Kusaka had never heard, made him keep quiet and listen.

"Did you know… When humans die way before their time, in accidents and such, they tend to stay behind, even if they hold no grudges? Most of them are children; some are so young they don't even realize they are dead. That's why they stay behind… Then they wander, alone and confused and lost. It makes them easy prey, and they get targeted by hollow more often than other souls. They must be scared all the time… Imagine… The relief, when someone is finally able to see you, to hear you, to help you and guide you. I can't tell for certain, because I can't remember, but if I was ever such a soul, then I am eternally grateful to the person who helped me pass on."

Finally Hitsugaya turned around, and for the first time ever, Kusaka found himself unable to meet the turquoise eyes of his best friend. He looked down at his feet, slightly ashamed of his way of thinking. "Toshiro… Sor…"

"There's is no reason to apologize."

Kusaka looked up, surprised to see that Toshiro was offering him that tiny, rare smile of his. Kusaka could count how many times he had seen it on one hand.

"You'll be a shinigami your way and I'll be a shinigami my way… That's all there is to it. Guess we finally found a difference in our personalities."

Kusaka nodded his head, also smiling. "Yes I think you are right."

* * *

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes slightly, and glanced sideways at Kusaka to see if he felt it too. All the other students kept sending them serious and somewhat dark glances, and a gloomy, foreboding silence seemed to follow them, rooms and corridors going completely quiet wherever they went.

Kusaka was wearing a serious, alert expression, obviously confused about the other students' strange behavior. They turned a corner, and Hitsugaya caught a glimpse of, by now, quite familiar, curly, bright, red hair before it disappeared into a classroom. Realizing this might be his best chance of getting an explanation, he called out.

"OI! Kagayama!" A moment went by before Kagayama's strawberry head appeared in the doorway. Hitsugaya and Kusaka watched in silence, as she quickly said something to someone inside the classroom, before carefully closing the door behind her and making her way towards them.

"Hitsugaya-kun, Kusaka-san," she greeted, but the smile she wore was strained and didn't reach her eyes, and she immediately averted her gaze to the floor. Even she clearly wasn't comfortable around them either.

"Kagayama, our class has just returned from a Soulburial exercise in the world of the living, could you kindly explain to us, what the hell is going on?" Hitsugaya said, sounding a little harsher than he had intended."

Kagayama's head snapped back up, her eyes wide. "So… You haven't heard it then..?"

"No… That's why we're asking…"

Kagayama bit her lip apparently not very enthusiastic about telling them anything. Never the less, she started speaking after a short while. "Five shinigami from my year were sent on a simulated hollowtracking exercise in the grand forests of the northern district seven yesterday… It shouldn't have born any risk really, but the academy lost contact with them shortly after noon, and well… The search-team that was dispersed found them later in the evening, but… They had all been killed by hollow…" She shook her head and covered her mouth with her hand.

_Well that explains the nasty atmosphere… But not…_

"But… What's that got to do with us?" Kusaka asked gently, obviously wanting to avoid upsetting her further.

"Oh… That's right… Sorry… Usually the academy would have requested the help of a team from the 13 squads to investigate the scene and exterminate the hollow responsible if it still resides in the area. But it was declared this morning that instead, they'll send out the top five students, and well… Being number one and two that includes both of you… Everyone is afraid you might not come back."

"… It's okay. They must have picked us because they think we are capable of handling it right? And if Toshiro is on the team… Well… There's no need to worry really." Kusaka said sending her a reassuring smile.

"You shouldn't take it lightly; there are some strange aspects to this incident!" Kagayama snapped, apparently angry that Kusaka was brushing the matter off as no big deal.

"None of the bodies showed any signs of serious resistance, most of them hadn't even drawn their swords… In other words, the hollows must have gotten the drop on them, which is quite weird, because one of them, Yuhiko, whom I knew very well, was an excellent tracker. Whenever I worked with him, he could sense hollows from miles away."

She sighed and crossed her arms. "According to the search-team the scene suggested that they were killed by either one powerful hollow or several less powerful… But I can't imagine Yuhiko failed to sense what was going on… It just doesn't add up…"

"Oh… I think it does…"

Hitsugaya and Kagayama turned their attention towards Kusaka at that statement. "You two probably don't know about this," he began, wearing a thoughtful expression.

"It happened one year before you entered the academy Mizuki-chan, when I was in first year… I wasn't part of the advanced class back then, so when the advanced class was sent on a simulated hollow extermination exercise in the world of the living, I didn't participate. Well the exercise was supposed to be held under secure conditions, so the sixth-years in charge of the exercise put up some reiatsu detecting kidou barriers, but… Somehow, some huge hollows managed to slip through… They killed a bunch of sixth-years and some first-years as well. If it hadn't been for the arrival of squad five's Captain, Aizen Sousuke and, back then, Lieutenant, Ichimaru Gin, everyone participating would have probably been killed. According to the bureau of technological development and research the hollows had somehow learned to hide their reiatsu. Perhaps the hollows from yesterday are able to do that too…"

Hitsugaya recognized the story somewhat, Hinamori had told him about the incident, but apparently she had found it more important for him to hear about all the 'juicy' details of how she was saved by 'oh so glorious Aizen,' rather than the fact that the humungous freak hollows for unknown reasons had possessed the ability to enter a secured area unnoticed while hiding their spiritual pressure.

"They were rescued by officers?!" Something glistening appeared in the corners of Kagayama's eyes, and she quickly looked down, trying to hide her tears from them.

"P-Promise me you'll be careful… Ok guys?" She said, struggling to keep her slightly shaky voice under control.

While Hitsugaya was flattered by Kagayama's unexpected display of concern, he wasn't comfortable with the situation. He and Kusaka exchanged looks, to kill hollows was something they could relate to, dealing with crying girls was… Alien. Sure enough Toshiro had comforted Hinamori a few times, but somehow he figured a rub on the back, a kind word and a bandage wouldn't help much in the given situation.

"You… Uhh… You shouldn't worry so much Mizuki-chan, everything is probably going to be all right," Kusaka said, his friendly smile in place, as he padded Kagayama reassuringly on the shoulder.

Kagayama looked at Kusaka through teary eyes for a moment before she suddenly hugged him to both Toshiro's and Kusaka's surprise. Hitsugaya watched half confused, half amused from a small distance, as Kagayama stopped bothering concealing her crying and hugged Kusaka tighter. Kusaka made some strange gaping motions, mouthing for Hitsugaya to help him out. Toshiro shrugged and having no better idea of what to do, he just went over to them and started rubbing Kagayama's back awkwardly. The result… He got caught up in the hug as well.

"You two better come back alive; I don't want to lose anymore friends…" With that, she gave each of them a soft peck on the cheek and left them madly blushing, wide-eyed and gaping.

"…Kusaka… I don't think I understand women's thinking at all…" Hitsugaya said, looking after Kagayama.

"I hate to tell you this Toshiro… But I'm afraid that the older you get the harder it will be," he replied, touching the cheek Kagayama had kissed.

* * *

Hitsugaya relied on all the senses he had, as they made their way through the forest. He could hear the others following closely behind him, their footsteps making low crunching noises when they stepped on the dry leafs that littered the ground. His eyes darted from tree to tree not missing even the smallest of movements.

The others were anxious. Two of them kept looking around, breathing faster than they should. The only female member of the group, a girl named Kan, was a bit pale, but her breathing was normal, and she seemed to keep her cool. Kusaka was alert, but didn't show any signs of being physically uncomfortable in any way. _Good… That means I'll only have to keep an extra eye on Takayoshi and Hakichi… _

"I think we should spread out a little… We are a way too easy target, if we move around huddling together like this." Hitsugaya said, turning around to face the others. "If we don't, the hollows will more than likely be able to take all of us out with a single blow."

The others nodded and waited silently for further instructions.

"Right... Diamond formation. I'll go in front… Kusaka left flank, Hakichi right flank, Takayoshi center, Kan, you take the back."

"Hai senpai!" they replied in union, before heading for their assigned spots.

Hitsugaya had been rather surprised when the instructors had asked him to be in charge of the mission. He had never been working as group leader before, but so far the others had followed his orders without even attempting to question them. He was slightly amazed and a little flattered as well by their faith in him, but he was worried they would just blindly follow orders rather than object, if he made a mistake and issued a wrong command. Either way he held the responsibility of their lives, and he was determined to complete the task without losing any of them, even if he would have to sacrifice himself.

* * *

After having been on the move for several hours without any sign of hollow, the little group had started to relax more. Hitsugaya however was more alert than ever, his instincts told him that something was not right.

He took a quick glance at his surroundings._ Where are all the animals..?_ _There's_ _not even a bird in the sky…_

He was just about to tell the others to stay on guard, when he saw something moving to his right. His eyes widened, it was definitely the largest hollow he had seen in his life and now that it had come out of hiding, its reiatsu felt, as if someone was pressing down on his shoulders. It stood on all fours, its body slim and streamlined, with six long, lithe tentacles protruding from its back.

"HOLLOW TWO O'CLOCK!" he bellowed, jumping to the air, and just barely avoiding getting swiped by the long, agile tentacles.

_He's fast!_

He spun around and saw Kan, Takayoshi and Hakichi getting hammered to the ground, the tentacles too quick and unpredictable for them. Kan sat up almost immediately, but seemed unable to do anything more than that. Takayoshi and Hakichi lay completely still, and if it wasn't for the fact that Toshiro could feel their reiatsu faintly, he would have thought they were dead.

A swishing sound to his left warned Hitsugaya of an incoming blow, and instinctively he jumped to the side, evading the attack at the last possible second. He cursed himself inwardly for almost letting his guard down, because he tried to determine the conditions of the injured. Quickly he drew his sword and blocked another two attacks; as a second tentacle joined the battle and the first returned, both repeatedly charging him, as he prevented them from getting closer to his three wounded teammates.

After battling them for half a minute, he raised his reiatsu slightly, and managed to cut one of them regardless of its thick armor-like skin. Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the sword hilt. He had gotten used to their speed, and began to see a pattern in their movements. _Next time they charge, I'll be able to counterattack!_

The hollow let out a high-pitched cry and withdrew both tentacles when Hitsugaya successfully chopped the top off on one of them, granting him a few seconds to get a better grasp of the situation.

He glanced sideways and confirmed that Kusaka, who was doing a fair job dodging and blocking the four remaining tentacles, was still all right and capable of defending himself. Hitsugaya was on his way to assist him, but stopped on the spot, when the hollow suddenly stopped attacking and used its incredible, suspiciously high speed to disappear in the forest almost instantly.

"Do you think it fled?" Kusaka asked panting, when he reached Toshiro's side.

"No… I think it's trying to get us with a stealth attack, using the trees as cov...! SHIT it's back already!"

Hitsugaya had already shunpoed, when the hollow reappeared and targeted the three defenseless shinigami on the ground. He could hear Kan scream out in fear and saw her cover her head, panic evident in all of her features, before she collapsed on the ground.

"Oh no you don't!" Hitsugaya thrust his palm forward.

"Kyomon!"

A sigh of relief escaped Toshiro's lips when the barrier materialized in the last possible second, stopping the charging hollow as if it ran its head against a solid wall. The beast thrust at the barrier with its clawed front legs, but after a couple of failed attempts to reach the shinigami inside, it realized it couldn't break through. In the blink of an eye it disappeared in the forest once more, only to reappear closely behind Kusaka.

"KUSAKA WATCH OUT!!!"

Kusaka managed to avoid the hollow's claws, but was hit in the guts and knocked to the ground by a tentacle before he had a chance to put himself at a safer distance. Hitsugaya watched, as the hollow raised its clawed hand high above its head, ready to deal Kusaka the finishing blow, and he felt as if his mind went blank. His senses were dulled and everything seemed to happen in slow-motion. Without thinking, he made the fastest step of shunpo he had ever performed, not even realizing the ground beneath his feet crumble due to the power of the take-off.

* * *

Kusaka felt air get knocked out of him when he hit the ground. He tried to get up, but couldn't lift himself more than a few inches above the ground. He collapsed and landing flat on his stomach, as he was pressed hard to the ground by a strange pressure, which he had to struggle against In order to lift his head enough to see what was happening.

The hollow was already towering above him. Kusaka was helplessly watching the hollow's fist crashing down towards him, when Hitsugaya suddenly appeared beside him. He tried to block the attack, but the force of it made his sword break in two. The hollow's claws on the other hand continued forward, but had at least been deflected just enough they didn't pierce Toshiro's chest, but his left arm, side and shoulder instead.

"TOSHIRO!" Kusaka cried out, as his friends blue and white uniform appeared to turn red at a frightening speed before his very eyes.

Kusaka heard a soft thud, when Toshiro let the broken sword fall to the ground. "Toshiro?!" he said again, but Hitsugaya didn't reply. Instead he stared directly at the hollow with strange, dulled eyes, and Kusaka realized that Toshiro couldn't hear him.

* * *

"_What the?! How the hell did I end up here?!"_

Hitsugaya was quite familiar with his inner world by now, but he didn't remember entering it.

"_**I brought you here boy…"**_

The dragon landed gracefully in front of him and Hitsugaya noticed they were standing remarkably closer than ever before.

_I wonder what he wan… Wait a minute I don't have time for this!_

"_Sorry! But whatever it is it'll have to wait, I'm in a real pinch!"_

"_**Yes… That is why I brought you here."**_

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the idea of hanging out with the dragon in his inner world, while his body risked becoming hollow dinner in the outside world. But nevertheless he stayed where he was, waiting for the dragon to continue.

"_**There was no doubt in your heart when you rushed to your friend's aide, well aware that it could have cost you your life. **_

_**To surpass your own limit to protect someone you care for on instinct, without hesitation. **_

_**That is what it means to be a true guardian with a dragon's heart. **_

_**You have proven yourself to me. **_

_**You are ready to wield me Toshiro!"**_

Hitsugaya gulped, as the ice dragon bowed down his head. What was happening seemed unfathomable to him, but somehow knowing what he was supposed to do, Toshiro reached out. The second he let his palm rest on the dragon's snout, joining their reiatsu, he felt complete. As if he had found a missing piece of himself. Cold, raw power pounded through his veins. He felt stronger.

"_**Tell me the command Master."**_

* * *

Kusaka waited in suspense for something to happen. He felt completely at a loss as to why Hitsugaya stood paralyzed before the hollow, but was even more amazed by the fact that the hollow seemed hesitant to attack. The strange scene went on for another few seconds, before the air without warning seemed to rapidly grow even heavier and colder.

He choked on his breath when Toshiro suddenly began to radiate a strange, bluish white glow, his reiatsu rising exponentially. The hollow lashed its claws out at Toshiro once more, but they were frozen over when his reiatsu exploded in a blast of light.

Kusaka blinked rapidly, he had been temporarily blinded by the reiatsu outburst. Once he could see properly, he realized that the hollow had retreated nearly twenty meters. It let out a loud shriek of rage, and Kusaka noticed that half of its front leg was missing.

Kusaka coughed, the air he breathed feeling painfully cold in his lungs, as he up close, watched the grass and leafs below him curl slightly and stiffen when a glittering layer of frost sprouted from Hitsugaya's feet and moved outwards. A powerful, icy wind was biting his face and dark clouds gathered above them, the roaring sound of thunder drowning out the cries of the hollow.

Even though Kusaka was impressed and intrigued by the power his friend was displaying, he was growing positively scared. The heavy pressure from Toshiro's reiatsu made his breathing difficult and the cold made him shake uncontrollably as it seemed to invade every cell in his body. He closed his eyes and vomited when he breathed in air far too dense with reiatsu for him to handle.

Suddenly Toshiro stretched out his healthy arm, as if reaching for something only he could see. Kusaka narrowed his eyes and blinked several times trying to rid himself of the dizziness he was feeling, and confirm if he was seeing correctly when water and snow suddenly began gathering in the air before Hitsugaya's outstretched palm. Kusaka felt his eyes widen when he, through the aura of reiatsu, saw the swirling mass of snow, water and ice materialize in the shape of a sheathed, katana longer than Hitsugaya himself. _Toshiro… That's!_

Even though he was feeling miserable, Kusaka watched in amazement, as the dark, midnight blue sheath evaporated in a blast of snow, the second Toshiro grabbed the hilt. Hitsugaya held the Zanpakutou out in front of him, his reiatsu still growing and his expression changing to one that promised frozen hell.

Half consciously Kusaka saw the hollow, let out another roar and charge, its running considerably slower and clumsier now that it lacked a leg.

"Soten ni zase."

* * *

"_**My name is…"**_

* * *

"What..?" Kusaka whispered weakly, unable to make any sense of Toshiro's words, as he fought to stay conscious, gasping for breath in air too cold and dense for him to breathe.

"HYORINMARU!"

Hitsugaya's reiatsu took another leap to a whole new level, as water and ice sprouted from his Zanpakutou, and Kusaka felt, as if even his blood had frozen and stopped running in his veins. He screamed out in pain, but his voice couldn't be heard over the thunderous roar of something, he couldn't clearly make out with his blurry vision. The gigantic creature soared through the air, as it was released directly above him, its speed, volume and power making all shikais he'd previously seen pale in comparison.

He closed his eyes tightly, unable to see anything but the color white and unable to hear anything but the deafening thunder. All that remained was that ominous feeling of that heavy, freezing, suffocating and terrifying reiatsu. Panicking, he desperately tried to search for the remains of his own reiatsu, but couldn't locate it. _Does this mean… I'm dead?_

* * *

Suddenly the whiteness seemed to flicker, to turn into shapes. Kusaka blinked a couple of times. His eyes widened, as he gazed at the icy landscape and glaciers before him.

"_What… What in the world is… This?!"_

The whole place oozed of a reiatsu only slightly different from the one he had felt from Toshiro, but definitely identical to the reiatsu he was now emitting himself.

Kusaka placed a hand above his heart, this world…

"_This world… Is a part of me..?"_

His question was answered by the echo of the glaciers, but the echo was not of his own words, not even his own voice.

"_I dream of a plain of ice…"_

"_I feel the presence of "ice"…"_

"_I hear a voice… An echoing voice…"_

"_Crushing… Engulfing…"_

"_Resounding into the distance…"_

"_Just like thunder…"_

"_Brushing against my hand…"_

"_Like a delicate flower…"_

"_On that plain of ice, I die."_

Kusaka stared at the glaciers in confusion.

"_What..?"_

* * *

A/N: Phew... It seems like I have obtained a bad habit of making awfully late updates with awfully long chapters -_-... Oh well... I just hope it's readable, even if it comes in large, irregular portions ^^' Hitsugaya claimed his shikai. \(^v^)/ *cheers* Hyorinmaru… I choose you!

Also… Kyomon is in English called the mirror gate or mirror door barrier… It's the one Hitsugaya uses to protect Hinamori when he and Matsumoto go to the central 46, just before Rukia's execution. Just in case some of you didn't know ^^

Next time: Central 46 sniffs around, and… *gasp* can you guess?? More stuff from the academy! ...Again… Anyway I hope you liked it and please review XD Oh and… Blame the hyperness on my tea ~v^


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